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Encyclopedia  of  Pennsylvania 

BIOGRAPHY 


BY 

JOHN  W.  JORDAN,  LL.D. 

Librarian  Historical  Society  of  Pennsylvania,  Philadelphia;  Author  of  "Colonial  Families 

of  Philadelphia;"  "Revolutionary  History  of  Bethlehem," 

and  various  other  works. 


ILLUSTRATED 


VOLUME    VI 


NEW  YORK 

LEWIS  HISTORICAL  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

1916 


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BIOGRAPHICAL 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


BAGGALEY,  Ralph, 

Inventor,  Man  of  Large  Affairs. 

Ralph  Baggaley,  of  Pittsburgh,  inven- 
tor and  man  of  afifairs,  during  a  long  and 
Active  life,  needed  no  introduction  in  the 
United  States  or  in  Europe.  He  was  of 
ancient  lineage,  honorable  in  the  Old 
World  and  the  New. 

The  Baggaley  family  is  of  French 
origin,  but  migrated  to  England  and  set- 
tled in  the  county  of  Chester.  Later, 
three  branches  settled  in  Derbyshire,  on 
the  edge  of  the  Duke  of  Devonshire's 
famous  estate,  "Chatsworth  Park,"  in  a 
little  village  called  Calver.  Descendants 
of  the  family  still  reside  there.  The  names 
Ralph  and  William  have  been  in  continu- 
ous use  for  six  hundred  and  fifty  years. 

The  earliest  known  public  record  relates 
to  the  purchase  of  the  family  estate  and 
manor  of  Lostok  Gralam,  county  of  Ches- 
ter, Stephen  de  Trafiford  and  Isabel  his 
wife  conveying  the  property  to  William 
de  Baggelegh,  senior;  this  was  in  1321. 
Isabel,  heiress  of  William  de  Baggelegh, 
married  Sir  Thomas  Danyers,  and  he  was 
seized  of  Lostok  at  his  death  in  1354.  His 
heir  was  an  only  daughter. 

The  record  given  below  is  taken  in 
substance  from  a  family  prayer-book  now 
in  possession  of  the  family  of  Ralph 
Baggaley,  of  Pittsburgh : 

Ralph  Baggaley  was  born  October  5, 
1782,  and  was  of  Greathucklow.  He  mar- 
ried, October  25,  1809,  at  Bakewell,  Ann 
Froggatt,  born  April  22,  1791,  a  descend- 
ant of  Thomas  Froggatt,  of  Calver,  Der- 
byshire, and  about  1819  or  1820  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States,  settling  in 
Pennsylvania.  His  death  occurred  Au- 
gust 24,  1820. 


William,  son  of  Ralph  and  Ann  (Frog- 
gatt) Baggaley,  was  born  June  19,  181 1, 
and  became  one  of  the  leading  merchants 
of  Pittsburgh.  He  married  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  William  Blair,  a  business 
man  of  that  city,  and  their  children  were : 
William,  died  in  childhood;  Theodore; 
Elizabeth,  married  John  Stillwell  Clarke, 
of  New  York ;  and  Ralph,  mentioned  be- 
low. Theodore  Baggaley  served  in  the 
Civil  War  with  the  rank  of  captain,  and 
while  leading  a  charge  at  the  battle  of 
Malvern  Hill,  or  White  Oak  Swamp,  was 
severely  wounded;  he  died  in  1875.  The 
fortune  of  Mr.  Bagaley  (who  spelled  the 
name  thus),  a  fabulous  one  for  those 
times,  was  wrecked  during  the  Civil  War, 
and  his  death  occurred  on  August  4,  1877, 
in  Pittsburgh,  while  the  world-famous 
riots  were  at  their  height. 

Ralph  Baggaley,  son  of  William  and 
Elizabeth  (Blair)  Bagaley,  was  born  De- 
cember 26,  1846,  and  attended  the  Sewick- 
ley  Academy  of  the  Rev.  Joseph  S.  Tra- 
velli,  and  Kenwood  Academy,  New 
Brighton.  Soon  after  the  outbreak  of  the 
Civil  War,  with  three  schoolmates,  he 
enlisted  and  started  for  West  Virginia, 
but  Mr.  Bagaley  obtained  their  discharge 
and  sent  Ralph  to  a  private  school  in 
Dresden,  Germany,  where  he  remained 
more  than  three  years.  The  loss  of  his 
father's  fortunes  caused  him  to  return 
home,  and  in  the  terrible  times  immedi- 
ately following  the  war  he  entered  the 
employ  of  Bollman  &  Company,  serving 
at  first  without  compensation  in  order  to 
become  familiar  with  business  methods. 

A  youth  of  this  caliber  was  sure  to  suc- 
ceed. Within  a  short  time,  the  firm  hav- 
ing become  bankrupt,  Mr.  Baggaley 
formed    a    new    organization    under    the 

837 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


name  of  Baggaley,  Young  &  Company, 
and  continued  the  foundry  and  machine 
business.  The  enterprise  was  success- 
ful from  the  outset,  and  still  continues 
under  the  name  of  the  Seaman-Sleeth 
Company. 

In  1868  Mr.  Baggaley  formed  a  friend- 
ship with  George  Westinghouse,  St.,  with 
whom  he  was  associated  in  bringing  Mr. 
Westinghouse's  invention  before  the  pub- 
lic. Patents  were  then  applied  for  and  a 
company  with  a  nominal  capital  stock  of 
$500,000  was  formed,  Mr.  Westinghouse 
receiving  $200,000  and  Mr.  Baggaley 
$100,000.  Throughout  the  long  and  try- 
ing period  of  waiting  and  endeavor,  Mr. 
Baggaley  was  the  mainstay  and  right 
hand  of  the  struggling  inventor.  Mr. 
Westinghouse  spent  twelve  years  in  fruit- 
less efforts  to  introduce  the  invention  in 
England  and  France,  and  it  seemed  that 
the  cause  was  lost,  but  Mr.  Baggaley, 
dropping  his  work  in  Pittsburgh,  went  to 
London  and  remained  there  thirty-three 
days.  In  sixty  days  thereafter  the  foreign 
company,  which  had  previously  been 
formed,  was  making  money. 

In  course  of  time  the  Brake  Company's 
business  became  so  large  that  it  had  to 
be  moved,  and  the  Westinghouse  Ma- 
chine Company  was  organized.  In  three 
years  and  eight  months  the  concern  had 
sunk  its  entire  capital  stock,  and  $80,000 
in  addition.  At  this  time  Mr.  Baggaley 
was  about  to  sail  for  Europe  with  his 
family,  to  remain  three  years,  owing  to 
ill  health.  The  Pittsburgh  banks  that 
held  Machine  Company  notes  notified  Mr. 
Westinghouse  that  the  company  must  be 
liquidated  and  pay  its  debts.  He  replied 
that  this  would  also  stop  the  Brake  Com- 
pany, the  Signal  Company  and  the  Elec- 
tric Company,  and  asked  if  there  were 
any  terms  on  which  the  Company  would 
be  permitted  to  continue  business.  The 
banks  replied  that  if  Ralph  Baggaley 
were  given  entire  charge  of  the  business 


it  might  continue,  and  they  would  carry 
it.  This  was  done,  and  the  same  banks 
furnished  $25,000  more  money  for  new 
machinery. 

The  next  problem  which  engaged  Mr. 
Baggaley's  attention  was  of  singular  in- 
terest. Havemeyer,  president  of  the 
Sugar  Trust,  had  notified  Glaus  Spreckels 
that  he  must  relinquish  his  immense 
sugar  interests  on  the  Pacific  coast  and 
in  Hawaii,  as  the  Sugar  Trust  proposed 
owning  it  all.  Captain  Watson,  Mr. 
Spreckels'  general  manager,  said  that  an 
engine  of  unusually  high  speed  would 
enable  them  to  compete  with  Haver- 
meyer,  and  Mr.  Baggaley  gave  him  the 
opportunity  of  putting  his  idea  to  the  test. 
Everything  worked  beautifully,  Mr. 
Spreckels  built  a  new  refinery  in  Phila- 
delphia, and  at  the  end  of  two  years  of 
furious  competition  doubled  its  capacity. 
It  was  with  the  deepest  gratitude  that  he 
and  Captain  Watson  acknowledged  their 
great  indebtedness  to  Mr.  Baggaley. 

One  of  Mr.  Baggaley's  partners,  Robert 
Pitcairn,  with  a  number  of  his  friends, 
had  organized  the  Consolidated  Gas  Com- 
pany, and  owing  to  an  incompetent  book- 
keeper they  became  involved  in  difficul- 
ties. Mr.  Pitcairn  told  Mr.  Baggaley  that 
he  was  ruined,  and  that  he  (Mr.  Bagga- 
ley) was  the  only  man  in  the  world  who 
could  save  him  and  all  his  friends  from 
complete  overthrow.  Mr.  Baggaley 
agreed  to  work  every  night  on  the  prob- 
lem after  his  own  day's  work  was  done. 
He  did  so  and  the  firm  was  saved. 

About  1875  Mr.  Baggaley  purchased 
the  "Evening  Telegraph."  It  was  losing 
money  and  had  no  press-dispatch  serv- 
ice. At  this  time  Jay  Gould  owned  the 
Atlantic  &  Pacific  Telegraph  Company, 
which  had  no  press  association,  but  was 
nevertheless  competing  with  the  West- 
ern Union  Telegraph  Company  and  had 
a  very  large  income  from  the  Western 
Associated  Press  and  the  New  York  As- 


1838 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


sociated  Press.  Mr.  Baggaley  went  to 
New  York  and  called  a  meeting  of  free- 
lance newspapers  from  all  parts  of  the 
country,  by  telegraph,  after  conferring 
with  the  officials  of  the  Atlantic  &  Pacific 
Telegraph  Company.  The  result  was  a 
new  press  association  whose  afternoon 
service,  at  least,  was  far  fuller  and  better 
than  that  of  its  competitors.  The  "Tele- 
graph" was  owned  and  operated  for  seven 
years  as  a  free-lance  in  politics  and 
everything  else.  The  paper  was  the  first 
in  Pittsburgh,  and,  indeed,  in  the  west, 
to  make  a  great  feature  of  a  financial  de- 
partment. Mr.  Baggaley  was  a  director 
in  twenty-six  corporations  of  all  kinds, 
and  financial  news  was  available  that 
others  could  not  get. 

In  the  interest  of  his  paper,  Mr.  Bagga- 
ley devised  a  novel  advertising  scheme 
consisting  of  powerful  electrical  appara- 
tus. It  was  submitted  to  Professor  S.  F. 
Langley,  then  in  charge  of  the  Western 
Observatory,  who  approved  it,  but  in 
view  of  the  great  expense  which  it  would 
involve,  more  than  $50,000,  it  was  de- 
cided that  better  results  could  be  ob- 
tained by  spending  this  amount  in  im- 
proved news  service. 

During  the  riots  of  1877,  Mr.  Baggaley 
witnessed  from  the  top  of  a  freight  car 
the  fight  with  the  Philadelphia  regiment 
at  Twenty-eighth  street.  He  at  once 
drove  to  his  publishing  house  and  wrote 
a  three-column  description  of  the  event 
for  his  evening  edition.  This  was  the 
only  account  by  an  eye-witness  that  was 
published,  and  it  was  at  once  telegraphed 
as  a  press  dispatch  to  every  member  of 
the  Atlantic  &  Pacific  Telegraph  Com- 
pany Association,  and  was  also  tele- 
graphed as  a  "special"  to  every  important 
paper  in  this  country  and  in  Europe.  And 
the  "Evening  Telegraph"  was  given 
credit  for  the  news. 

About  the  time  of  the  riots,  a  thrilling 
mystery    case    existed    at    Binghamton, 


New  York.  Colonel  Dwight,  a  promi- 
nent citizen  who  had  recently  insured  his 
life  for  a  large  sum,  died  under  suspicious 
circumstances.  Timothy  Brosnan,a  noted 
detective  and  an  old  friend  of  Mr.  Bagga- 
ley, was  employed  to  ferret  out  the  facts 
and  furnished  a  complete  solution  of  the 
mystery.  A  detailed  account  was  pub- 
lished in  the  "Evening  Telegraph,"  and 
the  editor  of  the  New  York  "Herald" 
authorized  his  local  agent  to  ofifer  "the 
man  that  wrote  that  article"  five  thou- 
sand dollars  to  join  the  "Herald"  staff. 
He  then  wrote  that  he  could  not  under- 
stand how  a  "country  editor"  (as  he 
called  him)  could  get  such  a  "beat"  on 
every  big  daily  paper  in  the  world. 

The  "Telegraph"  took  a  fearless  stand 
for  right  during  the  riots,  as  always,  and 
the  publishing  house  was  set  on  fire  three 
times,  but  owing  to  the  fact  that  men 
were  constantly  on  guard  the  loss  was 
trifling.  Later  the  residence  of  Mr.  Bag- 
galey was  also  partially  burned.  At  this 
time  the  building  of  the  "Dispatch"  was 
totally  destroyed  by  fire,  and  no  one  was 
equipped  to  furnish  aid  but  its  evening 
rival,  the  "Telegraph."  Mr.  Baggaley 
generously  came  to  the  rescue,  and  when 
asked,  "What  will  your  charge  be?"  re- 
plied, "Eugene  (O'Neil)  may  make  out 
the  bill  himself  after  his  publishing  house 
has  been  rebuilt."  The  "Dispatch"  ap- 
peared as  usual  next  morning,  and  the 
two  papers  lived  together  in  harmony  for 
several  months. 

The  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company's 
loss  from  the  riots  in  Allegheny  county 
exceeded  five  and  one-half  millions,  and 
the  company  wished  the  county  to  issue 
$2,500,000  in  bonds  to  help  it  rebuild.  A 
great  public  meeting  was  held,  and  Mr. 
Baggaley's  speech  in  favor  of  the  com- 
pany was  enthusiastically  applauded,  and 
resolutions  endorsing  the  bond  issue  were 
adopted  in  a  whirlwind  of  assent.  This 
action  not  only  helped  the  Pennsylvania 


1839 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Railroad  Company,  but  also  saved  Alle- 
gheny county  expensive  litigation  in 
which  it  w^ould  have  been  compelled  to 
pay  double  the  amount  asked  for. 

About  this  time  the  "Evening  Chron- 
icle," which  was  controlled  by  Joseph  G. 
Siebenick,  was  consolidated  with  the 
"Evening  Telegraph."  The  relationship 
was  always  pleasant  and  the  property  be- 
came a  staple  twelve  per  cent,  invest- 
ment. The  controlling  interest  was  sold 
at  a  good  price  to  Dr.  C.  G.  Hussey,  and 
later  the  paper  was  sold  to  the  Oliver 
family. 

About  1870,  in  association  with  Henry 
W.  Oliver  and  other  prominent  citizens, 
Mr.  Baggaley  organized  the  Duquesne 
Club.  It  is  still  in  a  prosperous  condi- 
tion and  is  the  largest  club  in  Pittsburgh. 

It  was  Mr.  Baggaley  who  foresaw  the 
end  of  the  Pittsburgh  cotton  business, 
and  after  the  Civil  War  sold  his  stock  in 
the  Eagle  and  Banner  Cotton  Mills.  His 
discernment  was  abundantly  justified. 
Mills  sprang  up  in  the  south,  and  the 
cotton  business  of  Pittsburgh  died  and  is 
still  dead. 

The  Baggaley  family  attended  Sn  An- 
drew's Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  and 
a  new  edifice  had  recently  been  erected, 
but  the  Rev.  William  Preston,  who  was 
the  pastor  and  a  truly  good  man,  was  old 
and  feeble,  and  the  building  was  much 
larger  than  the  dwindling  congregation 
needed.  It  was  decided  that  young  men 
be  put  into  ofifice,  and  Mr.  Baggaley  and 
a  number  of  others  were  elected.  An  elo- 
quent young  preacher,  Dr.  Swope,  was 
employed  to  assist  Dr.  Preston,  and  Mr. 
Baggaley  was  placed  in  charge  of  the 
music  In  accordance  with  his  opinion 
that  a  church  service  should  be  made 
attractive,  he  engaged  a  fine  quartette 
and  an  organist  of  superior  ability.  This 
was  the  first  great  quartette  choir  in 
Pittsburgh,  and  one  of  the  first  in  the 
United    States.      Its    effect    was    almost 


magical.  The  morning  service  was  so 
well  attended  that  pews  were  placed  in 
every  available  space,  and  still  there  was 
sometimes  not  room  enough.  Other 
churches  soon  followed  this  example. 

As  the  owner  of  a  tract  of  pine  land  in 
Clarion  county,  Mr.  Baggaley  organized 
the  Arthurs  Coal  and  Lumber  Company, 
and  built  saw-mills  and  fifty-eight  miles 
of  railroad.  The  latter  is  now  a  part  of 
the  Bp.ltimore  &  Ohio  main  line  to  Buf- 
falo. Mr.  Baggaley  also  purchased  some 
two  thousand  acres  of  hemlock  and  hard- 
wood timber  land  in  Cameron  and  Elk 
counties. 

In  1876  Mr.  Baggaley  visited  the  Cen- 
tennial Exposition  in  Philadelphia  and 
there  saw  Professor  Bell's  speaking  tele- 
phone. In  the  competition  between  Edi- 
son and  Bell,  some  young  bankers  of 
Pittsburgh  made  a  contract  with  the  Bell 
interests  for  their  agency  in  five  counties 
near  that  city.  The  results  were  dis- 
astrous, and  Mr.  Baggaley  was  forced  to 
take  charge  in  order  to  save  his  friends. 
He  spent  seven  weeks  in  New  York  and 
Boston  in  negotiations  with  the  officials 
of  the  Western  Union  Telegraph  Com- 
pany (then  controlled  by  William  H. 
Vanderbilt),  the  Gold  and  Stock  Tele- 
graph Company,  the  American  Bell  Tele- 
phone Company  and  the  Central  District 
and  Printing  Telegraph  Company.  At 
the  same  time  five  experts  were  employed 
to  harmonize  the  dififerences  between  the 
Edison  and  Bell  interests.  The  fight  was 
very  bitter,  but  an  agreement  was  finally 
reached.  Mr.  Baggaley  charged  nothing 
for  his  services,  but  the  syndicate  pre- 
sented his  wife  with  twenty  thousand 
dollars. 

In  the  litigation  between  Jay  Gould  and 
the  American  Bell  Company,  Mr.  Bagga- 
ley was  called  to  the  United  States  Court 
as  an  expert  witness.  After  he  had  spent 
two  days  on  the  stand,  the  lawyers  in- 
sisted that  he  should  negotiate  a  settle- 


1840 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ment  of  the  suit  out  of  court,  claiming 
that  he  was  the  one  man  equipped  to  do 
this  great  work.  The  result  of  Mr.  Bag- 
galey's  mediation  was  the  settlement  of 
thirty  years  of  litigation  by  the  payment 
of  $3,300,000,  or  less  than  one-third  of  the 
amount  claimed  and  sued  for.  In  recog- 
nition of  his  services  the  Bell  Telephone 
people  furnished  him  with  free  telephone 
service  for  thirty  years. 

Mr.  Baggaley  took  an  active  part  in 
the  organization  and  building  of  the  Pitts- 
burgh &  Lake  Erie  railroad,  persevering 
in  the  face  of  much  discouragement  from 
railroad  officials,  but,  as  so  often  before, 
the  event  justified  him.  In  the  historic 
contest  in  regard  to  the  building  of  the 
South  Pennsylvania  railroad,  Mr.  Bagga- 
ley played  an  important  and  honorable 
part,  but  it  is  needless  to  give  the  details 
of  an  episode  which  now  forms  one  of  the 
most  thrilling  chapters  in  the  railroad 
annals  of  the  United  States. 

Almost  from  the  time  he  commenced 
business  in  1867,  Mr.  Baggaley  suffered 
from  inflammatory  rheumatism,  two  of 
the  attacks  almost  costing  him  his  life. 
About  1888  he  suffered  greatly  from  his 
malady  and  also  from  overwork.  He  was 
a  director  in  four  banks  and  in  twenty- 
four  other  corporations,  and  was  under 
obligation  to  attend  over  two  thousand 
meetings  annually  in  addition  to  his  regu- 
lar employment.  Realizing  that  this  was 
a  strain  which  no  one,  even  in  health, 
could  endure  and  live,  Mr.  Baggaley  re- 
signed in  one  day  from  eighteen  corpora- 
tions, and  thereafter  steadily  reduced  his 
business  engagements. 

At  one  time,  while  quite  ill,  he  under- 
took for  a  year,  and  from  motives  of 
friendship,  a  task  which  would  have  ap- 
palled many  men  in  the  full  enjoyment  of 
health.  The  United  States  Glass  Com- 
pany, or,  as  it  was  called,  the  "Glass 
Trust,"  had  been  forced  to  suspend  oper- 
ations through  the  arbitrary  exactions  of 


the  Flint  Glass  Workers'  Union.  This 
union  controlled  seven  thousand  votes  in 
Allegheny  county,  had  $72,000  in  its 
treasury,  and  could  point  to  a  record 
which  chronicled  no  defeat.  Friends  of 
Mr.  Baggaley  had  their  principal  re- 
sources invested  in  the  company,  and  it 
was  at  their  entreaty  that  he  undertook 
the  work  of  extricating  them.  His  wis- 
dom, energy  and  inflexible  determination 
resulted  in  a  victory  for  the  company.  In 
eighteen  months  seven  factories  were  in 
successful  operation,  and  the  company 
commenced  making  money  for  the  first 
time  in  its  history.  Mr.  Baggaley,  who 
had  accomplished  this  great  task  at  the 
risk  of  his  life,  not  only  from  disease  but 
also  from  the  machinations  of  the  union, 
resigned,  and  was  ill  in  bed  for  more  than 
seven  months  thereafter. 

By  the  time  Mr.  Baggaley  had  recov- 
ered his  health  sufficiently  to  chafe  under 
prolonged  idleness,  the  great  trusts  were 
in  process  of  formation  and  the  question 
arose :  What  business  can  one  engage  in 
that  can  succeed?  Mr.  Baggaley  and 
William  Hainsworth  together  invented 
and  patented  a  splendid  wheel  and  a  roll- 
ing machine  in  which  the  tread  and  flange 
were  rolled.  One  hundred  and  twenty 
perfect  wheels  were  made  at  the  first  at- 
tempt and  outlasted  five-fold  the  best 
wheels  that  had  ever  before  been  tested 
on  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad.  Yet  the 
whole  scheme  failed  by  reason  of  the 
selfishness  and  short-sightedness  of  cer- 
tain men  who  were  unable  to  see  that 
"honesty  is  the  best  policy." 

In  1900  Mr.  Baggaley  purchased  the 
entire  Gold  Hill  Mountain,  sixteen  hun- 
dred acres,  with  immense  water-power, 
and  patented  it  all.  Investigation  proved 
it  to  be  a  vast  field  for  improvement  and 
invention,  and  Mr.  Baggaley  entered  it 
with  enthusiasm  and  knowledge.  Over 
one  hundred  United  States  patents  were 
obtained  on  inventions  in  this  line  of  im- 
841 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


provement,  and  the  officials  of  the  patent 
office  said  that  the  regular  printed  issue 
of  copies  of  these  patents  for  sale  had 
been  five  times  as  many  as  that  of  any 
other  American  inventor. 

From  this  time  forth  Mr.  Baggaley's 
attention  was  for  many  years  chiefly  oc- 
cupied with  mining  interests,  and  v/ith 
his  inventions  in  connection  with  them. 
One  of  the  details  in  the  complete  copper 
process  which  has  attracted  universal  at- 
tention and  has  now  been  adopted  all 
over  the  world  is  the  development  and 
successful  use  of  the  basic-lined  con- 
verter and  the  dissolving  of  silicious  min- 
eral-bearing ores  in  it  in  lieu  of  destroy- 
,  ing  the  silicious  lining  of  the  old-fash- 
ioned converter.  This  invention  alone 
has  reduced  the  cost  uf  making  copper 
about  three  cents  per  pound,  yet  Mr. 
Baggaley's  theories  on  this  were  contro- 
verted by  every  metallurgist  and  by  all 
the  text-books  in  the  world.  After  he 
had  used  this  process  for  eight  and  a  half 
months  and  had  made  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands of  dollars'  worth  of  copper  by  it 
the  experts  could  no  longer  dispute  his 
claims  and  they  then  adopted  the  process. 
It  has  now  superseded  all  other  processes. 
In  association  with  a  number  of  others, 
Mr.  Baggaley  organized  the  Pittsburgh 
and  Montana  Copper  Company,  and,  not 
long  after,  Franklin  Farrell,  controller  of 
the  American  Brass  Company  in  New 
England,  insisted  that  Mr.  Baggaley 
should  become  his  partner  and  take  over 
the  management  of  his  two  hundred  and 
sixty-seven  acres  at  Butte.  Mr.  Bagga- 
ley refused,  stating  that  he  was  then  de- 
veloping sixteen  hundred  acres  at  Gold 
Hill,  Washington,  but  after  much  nego- 
tiation Mr.  Farrell  bought  the  Gold  Hill 
property  at  its  cost  of  $258,000,  in  part 
payment  for  his  Butte  property,  and  Mr. 
Baggaley  became  manager  at  Butte, 
agreeing  to  turn  over  his  inventions  to 
the  company  (with  certain  reservations) 


so  long  as  he  remained  in  charge.  He 
was  ofifered  a  salary  of  $25,000,  which 
was  refused  because  he  considered  the 
scheme  "a  family  afifair." 

Mr.  Baggaley  remained  in  Butte  three 
years  and  a  half,  developing  with  wisdom 
and  foresight  the  possibilities  of  the  prop- 
erty, which  only  failed  through  the  weak- 
ness of  its  financial  management,  but  is 
to-day  a  rich  and  prosperous  mine,  with 
its  debts  paid,  the  control  having  been 
purchased  by  the  East  Butte  Company. 
Mr.  Baggaley  proved  that  there  was  pay 
ore  in  the  flats  of  Butte. 

Dr.  Edward  Weston  has  truthfully 
said :  "There  are  three  stages  to  an  in- 
vention. In  the  first,  competitors  say, 
'It's  theoretically  impossible.'  In  the 
next,  'It  can't  be  done,  mechanically.'  In 
the  third,  'We  did  it  ourselves  three  years 
ago'."  This  has  been  Mr.  Baggaley's  ex- 
perience to  the  letter  with  the  experts  in 
the  copper  business.  But  his  inventions 
are  now  in  universal  use  all  over  the 
world. 

After  leaving  Butte  and  severing  all 
connection  with  the  company,  Mr.  Bag- 
galey developed  a  number  of  important 
and  valuable  inventions.  It  may  well  be 
supposed  that  a  man  whose  time  for 
nearly  half  a  century  was  so  intensely 
and  continuously  occupied  as  was  Mr. 
Baggaley's,  would  be  able  to  give  little 
attention  to  anything  outside  the  sphere 
of  his  regular  work,  but  the  mechanical 
genius  and  fine  administrative  abilities 
of  this  leading  citizen  of  Pittsburgh  was 
always  combined  with  breadth  of  view 
and  liberality  of  sentiment,  making  the 
range  of  his  interests  exceptionally  ex- 
tensive. He  affiliated  with  Franklin 
Lodge,  No.  221,  Free  and  Accepted  Ma- 
sons, and  Duquesne  Chapter,  and  was  a 
life  member  of  the  Art  Society  of  Pitts- 
burgh, the  American  Association  for  the 
Advancement  of  Science,  the  National 
Geographic  Society,  the  American  Soci- 


1842 


^l^^l^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF   BIOGRAPHY 


ety  of  Mechanical  Engineers,  the  Amer- 
ican Institute  of  Mining  Engineers  and 
the  Strollers'  Club  of  New  York.  He 
also  belonged  to  the  Duquesne  Club 
which  as  stated  above,  he  was  instru- 
mental in  founding. 

To  attempt  a  detailed  description  of 
the  personal  appearance  of  Mr.  Baggaley, 
a  man  of  international  reputation,  would 
be  almost  absurd,  especially  as  it  can  be 
summed  up  in  a  single  sentence — he 
looked  the  man  he  was. 

Mr.  Baggaley  married  (first)  in  1875, 
Mary,  daughter  of  Robert  and  Harriet 
(Alden)  Arthurs,  and  their  children 
were :  Robert  Alden,  deceased ;  Mary, 
wife  of  D.  King  Irwin ;  Elizabeth,  wife 
of  A.  Rook  Carroll ;  Annabel  Whitney, 
wife  of  Walter  R.  Hine ;  and  William 
Blair.  Mr.  Baggaley  married  (second) 
June  II,  1896,  Effie,  daughter  of  George 
M.  and  Euphemia  (King)  Irwin,  becom- 
ing by  this  union  the  father  of  two  chil- 
dren:  Euphemia,  born  in  1897;  and 
Ralph,  Jr.,  born  in  1900. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  two 
names  of  Ralph  and  William  still  exist 
in  the  family  after  more  than  six  hun- 
dred and  fifty  years  of  continuous  use. 

Some  narratives  leave  nothing  to  be 
said.  Additional  words  would  serve  but 
to  blur  and  weaken  their  clarity  and 
strength.  So  it  is  with  the  story  of  the 
career  of  Ralph  Baggaley.  His  record, 
which  was  its  own  eulogy,  closed  with 
his  death,  September  23,  1915. 

Mr.  Baggaley's  father  dropped  one  "g" 
from  the  spelling  of  his  name  when  a 
young  man  commencing  business,  and 
about  1893  ^^'■-  Baggaley  restored  the  "g" 
to  its  original  place  in  the  family  name. 


BLAIR,  John  Chalmers, 

Enterprising  Citizen,  Philanthropist. 

A  monument  in  the  beautiful  cemetery 
at  Huntingdon.  Pennsylvania,  bears  these 
words : 


"A  Life  of  Deeds — Not  Years." 
Beside  this  monument  rests  all  that  was  mortal 

of  a   man  whose   nobility  of  character   was 

only  excelled  by  his  kindness  of  heart. 
A  man  in  whom  was  combined  breadth  of  vision, 

far  sightedness  and  executive  ability  of  the 

highest  order. 

The  originator  of  an  industry,  unique 
ir  conception  and  execution,  and  which; 
under  his  guidance,  gained  the  highest 
measure  of  business  success ;  first  in 
every  measure  for  the  betterment  of  his 
community  and  its  people,  his  life,  in  its 
entirety,  merits  the  inscription  which  is 
quoted  above. 

John  Chalmers  Blair  was  born  near 
Shade  Gap,  Huntingdon  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, November  26,  1847,  of  a  long 
Ime  of  Scotch-Irish  ancestors.  His  great- 
grandfather, Alexander  Blair,  was  the 
first  of  the  family  to  adopt  America  as  his 
home,  settling  in  the  wilderness  near 
Shade  Gap,  Pennsylvania.  His  education 
began  in  the  public  schools  of  the  village, 
and  was  completed  in  Milnwood  Acad- 
emy, Huntingdon  Academy,  and  the 
Eastman  College  at  Poughkeepsie,  New 
York.  His  business  career  began  as 
agent  for  his  father,  making  settlements 
with  the  local  agents  for  the  stage  line  be- 
tween his  home  town  and  Chambersburg 
On  one  of  these  collection  trips  it  was  his 
fortune  to  see  and  report  to  the  northern 
towns.  General  Stuart's  raid  on  Cham- 
bersburg. The  carrying  of  this  news  did 
much  to  keep  the  Confederate  cavalry 
from  further  northern  progress.  The 
family  moved  to  the  county-seat  at  Hunt- 
ingdon, Pennsylvania,  in  April,  1863,  and 
"Chal,"  as  he  was  known  to  his  boy 
friends,  was  attending  school  when  the 
news  came  from  Gettysburg  that  his 
father,  Brice  X.  Blair,  then  captain  of 
Company  I,  One  Hundred  and  Forty- 
ninth  ("Bucktails")  Pennsylvania  Infan- 
try, had  been  seriously  wounded.  Mother 
and  son  left  at  once  for  the  battlefield, 
843 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


and,  after  finding  Captain  Blair,  brought 
him  to  Huntingdon  and  home. 

In  1866  he  served  as  clerk  in  the  bank- 
ing house  of  Bell,  Garrettson  &  Company, 
which  eventually  became  the  First  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Huntingdon,  of  which  in- 
stitution J.  C.  Blair  was  for  many  years 
afterward  a  director.  After  his  bank 
clerking  experience,  he  purchased  a  small 
bookstore  which  under  his  energetic  im- 
provements soon  took  on  new  life.  On 
May  25,  1871,  the  young  merchant  was 
happily  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Kate 
Fisher,  daughter  of  the  Hon.  Thomas 
Fisher,  of  Huntingdon,  Pennsylvania. 
As  an  adjunct  to  the  book  and  stationery 
business  a  small  printing  office  was 
added,  and  the  first  step  of  his  real  life's 
work  was  taken.  Believing  that  a  market 
existed  for  pencil  and  writing  papers 
arranged  in  tablet  form,  the  first  experi- 
mental lots  were  made  using  copper  tacks 
as  a  means  for  stapling  the  leaves  and 
back  together.  The  manufacturing  plant 
at  this  time  consisted  of  a  small  Gordon 
press  and  its  operator,  and  a  hand  power 
cutting  machine  and  its  operator,  plus 
the  dynamic  "Scotch-Irish"  push  of  the 
young  proprietor.  With  an  abiding  faith 
in  printer's  ink  and  publicity,  the  little 
business  grew  and  prospered,  outgrowing 
building  after  building.  In  1884  the  first 
new  building  of  what  is  now  one  of 
America's  model  factory  groups  was 
built,  five  others  following  as  the  busi- 
ness expanded.  Incorporation  was  made 
in  1891  as  the  J.  C.  Blair  Company. 

The  borough  of  Huntingdon  also 
profited  during  these  busy  business  years 
by  the  work  and  council  of  John  Chal- 
mers Blair,  whose  administration  as  chief 
burgess  for  two  terms  and  services  in 
the  borough  council  helped  greatly  in 
establishing  the  system  of  brick  and 
macadam  streets  and  the  modernizing  of 
the  public  school  and  cemetery  grounds. 
Through    his    earnest    efiforts    the    local 


celebration  of  county  and  borough  cen- 
tennial anniversaries  were  carried  to  a 
successful  finish,  the  present  "Standing 
Stone"  monument  being  erected  by  him 
in  1896.  His  religious  affiliations  were 
with  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  con- 
stant attendance  and  ready  support  of 
all  measures  for  betterment  testified  to 
the  interest  he  felt  in  church  and  Sab- 
bath school.  In  social  life  his  club  mem- 
berships included  the  Union  League, 
Manufacturers  and  Art  Clubs  of  Philadel- 
phia, and  the  Huntingdon  Club  in  his 
home  town. 

Essentially  a  busy  man,  he  limited  his 
travel  for  pleasure,  but  on  visits  to  Eu- 
rope and  different  sections  of  the  United 
States  and  Canada  he  brought  back  with 
him  the  views  of  a  keen  observer  and  a 
critical  analyst  who  saw  the  "inside"  of 
things  and  profited  by  the  seeing.  His 
relations  with  his  employees  are  best 
shown  by  the  fact  that  the  term  of  service 
of  many  of  them  dates  back  to  the  earliest 
commencement  of  the  business.  Always 
a  word  of  commendation  for  the  task  well 
done  or  a  bit  of  help  for  the  one  who 
needed  it,  every  employee,  to  him,  was  a 
friend  and  fellow-worker,  and  not  merely 
a  machine  that  could  turn  out  so  much 
work  in  a  day.  His  personal  friends  were 
many,  and  even  those  of  his  business 
friends,  who  had  never  met  the  man  him- 
self, seemed  to  consider  his  written  words 
as  those  of  a  close  personal  friend.  Some 
of  the  most  heartfelt  words  of  condolence 
that  came  in  after  his  death  were  from 
his  business  competitors.  His  home  life 
was  ideal  and  his  greatest  time  of  enjoy- 
ment was  passed  inside  its  walls.  He 
numbered  among  his  correspondents  poet, 
preacher,  politician,  and  the  thousand 
other  classes  which  make  up  society,  and 
he  derived  much  pleasure  from  their 
epistles,  especially  from  those  of  literary 
tastes  and  inclinations.  His  book-shelves 
were  not  limited  to  a  "five-foot"  space, 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAI'HY 


but  he  roamed  at  will  through  all  English 
literature,  especially  the  poets.  During 
the  fall  of  1896,  illness  compelled  Mr. 
Blair  to  seek  medical  aid  and,  after  an 
illness  of  about  seven  months  the  daunt- 
less spirit  passed  away  on  June  23,  1897. 

That  "the  good  that  men  do,  live  after 
them"  is  a  true  saying,  has  never  been 
shown  more  clearly  than  in  the  life  of 
John  Chalmers  Blair.  His  will  and 
memoranda  left  after  his  death  show  con- 
clusively the  breadth  and  clearness  of  his 
vision  for  the  future.  The  older  employees 
were  remembered  with  generous  shares 
of  stock  in  the  business,  and  have  carried 
on  the  company  affairs  with  ample  suc- 
cess. His  plans  for  Blair  Park  and  the 
Town  Athletic  Field  and  the  ridge  drive 
to  Simla,  all  have  been  carried  out  to 
completion  and  maintained  as  his  gifts  to 
the  public,  and  as  a  crowning  benefaction 
Mrs.  Kate  Fisher  Blair  has  built  and 
given  to  the  public  one  of  the  finest  and 
most  complete  hospitals  in  the  country. 
The  J.  C.  Blair  Memorial  Hospital,  dedi- 
cated to  the  memory  of  John  Chalmers 
Blair,  Merchant,  Manufacturer  and  Phi- 
lanthropist, stands  on  a  hill  overlooking 
the  town  of  Huntingdon,  a  perpetual 
memorial  to  one  of  her  foremost  citzens. 
The  hospital  was  opened  for  service  on 
September  4,  191 1,  and  has  proved  a 
blessing  to  the  country  round-about, 
rendering  prompt  efficient  service  to  the 
needy  "without  money  and  without 
price." 

The  entire  business  career  and  life  of 
John  Chalmers  Blair  stand  as  a  record 
to  be  emulated  by  any  young  man.  The 
love  of  his  associates,  the  gratitude  of  his 
employees,  the  sense  of  a  great  loss  by 
his  townsmen  and  the  general  public  all 
point  to  a  life  well  spent,  a  life  worthy 
of  the  commendation  "Well  done,  good 
and  faithful  servant — enter  thou  into  the 
joy  of  thy  Lord." 


LICHTY,  John  Alden,  M.  D., 

Practitioner,    Instructor,    Author. 

The  history  of  the  medical  profession 
in  Pittsburgh  is  well-nigh  coeval  with  the 
existence  of  the  city  and  is  a  record  of 
devotion  to  the  progress  of  science  and 
the  service  of  humanity.  The  prestige 
early  acquired  has  been  nobly  maintained 
by  the  successive  generations  and  promi- 
nent among  those  who  uphold  it  at  the 
present  time  is  Dr.  John  Alden  Lichty, 
Associate  Professor  of  Medicine  in  the 
University  of  Pittsburgh,  and  one  of  the 
city's  leading  practitioners.  Dr.  Lichty 
has  been  for  the  last  fifteen  years  a  resi- 
dent of  Pittsburgh  and  is  thoroughly 
identified  with  her  most  essential  inter- 
ests. 

The  great-grandfather  of  John  Alden 
Lichty  was  born  in  Canton  Berne,  Swit- 
zerland, and  in  1768  emigrated  to  Penn- 
sylvania, landing  in  Delaware  county, 
subsequently  removing  to  Lancaster 
county,  and  finally  settling  in  Somerset 
county,  where  his  descendants  have  been 
farmers  and  men  of  prominence.  His 
wife  was  also  a  native  of  Canton  Berne, 
Switzerland.  Among  their  children  was 
John  Calvin  Lichty,  see  below. 

(H)  John  Calvin  Lichty  was  born  in 
Somerset  county,  and  married  Elizabeth, 
also  a  native  of  Somerset  county,  daugh- 
ter of  John  L  Fike. 

(HI)  Jonas,  son  of  John  Calvin  and 
Elizabeth  (Fike)  Lichty,  was  born  Sep- 
tember, 1830,  in  Somerset  county,  where 
he  engaged  in  farming  and  also  labored 
as  a  minister  of  the  German  Baptist 
church.  He  married  Mary,  daughter  of 
William  and  Mary  (Walker)  Miller, 
natives  of  German  Switzerland.  Air. 
Miller  was  a  farmer  and  contractor, 
building  the  large  wooden  bridges  once 
so  common  in  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Lichty  were  the  parents  of  the  fol- 


1845 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


lowing  children :  Harvey  M.,  of  Sunny- 
side,  Washington ;  William  Henry,  a 
clergyman  of  Waterloo,  Iowa;  Elizabeth, 
married  D.  M.  Saylor,  of  Morrill,  Kansas, 
and  is  now  deceased ;  Carrie,  wife  of  D. 
F.  Walker,  of  Somerset,  Pennsylvania ; 
Amanda,  wife  of  Peter  Plough,  of  Water- 
loo, Iowa ;  Calvin,  died  in  youth ;  John 
Alden,  mentioned  below ;  Milton  Jay,  a 
physician  of  Cleveland,  Ohio;  and  Annie, 
died  in  youth.  The  Rev.  Jonas  Lichty 
died  November  21,  1893,  and  his  wife 
passed  away  in  May,  18S8. 

(IV")  John  Alden,  son  of  Jonas  and 
Mary  (Miller)  Lichty,  was  born  Febru- 
ary 26,  1866,  at  Meyersdale,  Somerset 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  attended  the 
Meyersdale  preparatory  school.  While 
attending  this  school  he  taught  school 
one  winter,  the  terms  being  very  short. 
He  then  entered  Mount  Union  College, 
Alliance,  Ohio,  and  between  times  of  at- 
tending this  institution  was  superintend- 
ent of  schools  at  Carleton,  Nebraska.  He 
graduated  from  Mount  Union  College  in 
1890.  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Philosophy.  He  taught  mathematics  for 
two  years  in  college  while  a  student.  He 
then  entered  the  Medical  Department  of 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  and  in 
1893  received  from  that  institution  the 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine.  The  same 
year  Mount  Union  College  conferred 
upon  him  the  degree  of  Master  of  Phil- 
osophy. After  serving  for  eighteen 
months  in  the  Philadelphia  Hospital  Dr. 
Lichty  entered  the  Medical  Department 
of  the  LTniversity  of  Berlin,  Germany, 
where  for  a  year  he  devoted  himself  to 
study  and  special  research  work.  On  his 
return  to  the  United  States  he  became 
connected  with  the  Clifton  Springs  Sani- 
tarium, Clifton  Springs,  New  York,  re- 
maining there  three  years.  In  1S99  he 
came  to  Pittsburgh,  took  up  the  practice 
of  internal  medicine,  and  speedily  met 
with  recognition.     He  is  connected  with 


the  Mercy  Hospital  and  also  with  Co- 
lumbia Hospital,  and  since  1909  has  been 
Associate  Professor  of  Medicine  in  the 
University  of  Pittsburgh.  He  is  a  trus- 
tee of  Clifton  Springs  Sanitarium,  and  a 
member  of  the  State  Board  of  Charities  of 
the  State  of  Pennsylvania.  Among  the 
professional  organizations  to  which  Dr. 
Lichty  belongs  are  the  following:  The 
Academy  of  Medicine,  the  Allegheny 
County  Medical  Society,  the  Pennsyl- 
vania State  Medical  Society,  the  Ameri- 
can Medical  Association,  the  American 
Academy  of  Medicine,  the  American 
Gastro-Entrological  Association,  the 
American  Climatological  Association  and 
the  Biological  Society  of  the  University 
of  Pittsburgh. 

Devoted  as  he  has  been  to  the  active 
duties  of  his  profession.  Dr.  Lichty's  pen 
has  not  been  idle.  He  has  for  a  consider- 
able period  contributed  to  medical  maga- 
zines several  articles  a  year  on  cases  and 
subjects  of  more  than  ordinary  import- 
ance. The  list,  which  is  a  long  one,  in- 
cludes the  following:  "A  Clinical  Study 
of  the  Relation  of  the  Blood,  the  Urine 
and  the  Gastric  Contents  in  Diseases  of 
the  Stomach"  (Philadelphia  Medical 
Journal,  February  11,  1899)  ;  "Relation 
of  Uric  Acid  to  Migraine ;"  "Movable 
Kidney :  With  a  Report  of  Cases  ;"  "The 
Early  or  Premonitory  Symptoms  of  Per- 
nicious Anaemia"  (Journal  of  the  Amer- 
ican Medical  Association,  June  29,  1907)  ; 
"Differential  Diagnosis  and  Treatment  of 
Pyloric  Stenosis"  (Pennsylvania  Medical 
Journal,  April,  1907)  ;  "A  Consideration 
of  Failing  Cardiac  Compensation"  (Penn- 
sylvania Medical  Journal,  August,  1907)  ; 
"The  Gastro-Intestinal  Disturbances  As- 
sociated with  Migraine"  (New  York  Med- 
ical Journal,  October  20,  1906)  ;  "Tuber- 
culosis of  the  Gastro-Intestinal  Tract" 
(American  Medical  Journal,  March  11, 
1905)  ;  "Malignant  Lymphoma"  (Penn- 
sylvania Medical  Journal,  December, 
846 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


1906)  ;  "A  Consideration  of  the  Etiology 
of  Mucus  Colitis"  (American  Medical 
Journal,  August  9,  1902)  ;  "The  Preva- 
lence of  Malaria  in  Pittsburgh"  (Penn- 
sylvania Medical  Journal)  ;  "The  Treat- 
ment of  Gastric  Ulcer  Based  Upon  the 
Results  of  140  Cases"  (International 
Clinics,  Volume  IV,  series  18) ;  "Inci- 
dence of  Gall-Bladder  Trouble  and  Gas- 
tric Ulcer"  (Lancet-Clinic,  December  12, 
1908)  ;  "Gastric  Ulcer  Complicated  with 
the  Symptoms  of  Cholelithiasis"  (Amer- 
ican Medical  Journal,  October,  1907)  ; 
"The  Relation  of  the  Diseases  of  the  Gall- 
Bladder  and  Biliary  Ducts  to  the  Gastric 
Functions"  (American  Journal  of  the 
Medical  Sciences,  January,  191 1)  ;  "Per- 
foration in  Duodenal  Ulcer"  (New  York 
Medical  Journal,  July  i,  191 1)  ;  "Report 
of  Two  Cases  of  Henoch's  Purpura  with 
Symptoms  like  Acute  Appendicitis"  (Ar- 
chives of  Diagnosis,  July,  1909)  ;  "Diffi- 
culties in  Early  Recognition  of  Certain 
Diseases  of  the  Pancreas  ;"  "Gastro-Intes- 
tinal  Stasis ;"  "Appendicitis  Considered 
from  the  Standpoint  of  the  Internist,  based 
upon  750  Cases;"  "Clinical  Consideration 
of  Gastric  Hemorrhage." 

As  a  true  citizen,  Dr.  Lichty  takes  a 
keen  and  active  interest  in  everything 
relating  to  the  welfare  and  advancement 
of  Pittsburgh.  In  politics  he  is  a  Repub- 
lican, but  neither  seeks  nor  desires  office, 
preferring  to  concentrate  his  energies  on 
the  duties  of  his  profession.  No  good 
work  done  in  the  name  of  charity  or 
religion  appeals  to  him  in  vain.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  University  Club  and  the 
Alpha  Tau  Omega  fraternity  of  Mount 
Union  College  and  the  University  of 
Pittsburgh.  He  affiliates  with  the  Ma- 
sonic fraternity,  belonging  to  Palmyra 
Zenobia  Commandery,  of  New  York 
State,  and  also  to  the  Knights  Templar. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Shady  Avenue 
Baptist  Church 

The  explanation  of  Dr.  Lichty's  great 


success  as  a  practitioner  may  be  found  in 
the  fact  that  he  combines  a  thorough 
classical  and  medical  education  with  in- 
nate talents  of  no  common  order.  A 
hard  student,  he  is  enthusiastic  in  his 
efforts  to  elevate  the  standard  of  the  prcn 
fession,  keeping  fully  abreast  of  the  times. 
Of  florid  complexion,  his  strong  yet  ?.en- 
sitive  features  accentuated  by  closely- 
clipped  moustache  and  beard,  his  counte- 
nance shows  him  to  be  a  highly  intellec- 
tual man  of  much  force  of  character  and 
vigorous  individuality.  The  deep,  search- 
ing eyes  are  those  of  one  possessing 
quick  perceptions  and  his  manner,  digni- 
fied and  courteous,  is  indicative  of  a 
genial  nature.  His  friends,  both  in  and 
out  of  his  profession,  are  numbered  by  the 
hundred.  He  is  a  true  gentleman  and  a 
man  of  fixed  principles — a  man  in  the 
fullest  sense  of  the  word. 

Dr.  Lichty  married,  December  11,  1894, 
Cora  Lane,  daughter  of  Joseph  and 
Elizabeth  (Lane)  Stoner,  of  Greens- 
burg,  Pennsylvania,  and  they  are  the  pa- 
rents of  the  following  children :  Doro- 
thy, now  attending  Winchester  school, 
Pittsburgh  ;  Marjorie,  also  at  Winchester 
school ;  John  .Alden  Jr.,  born  May  30, 
1905  ;  and  Joseph  Stoner,  born  March  19, 
1907,  both  attending  Pittsburgh  public 
schools.  Dr.  Lichty  is  devoted  to  his 
home  and  family. 

Dr.  Lichty  is  now  just  entering  upon 
the  meridian  of  life  and  his  past  gives 
assurance  of  honors  which  await  him  in 
the  future.  His  record  as  a  practitioner 
will  be  written  in  multitudes  of  grateful 
hearts  as  well  as  in  the  annals  of  medi- 
cine, but  it  is  not  thus  alone  that  his  name 
will  be  preserved.  It  will  live  in  the 
literature  of  his  profession  as  that  of  the 
author  of  contributions  which  have  ad- 
vanced the  cause  of  science  and  shed 
light  on  the  path  of  those  who  labor  for 
the  relief  of  suffering  humanity. 

847 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


WEIL,  A.  Leo, 

Lawyer,  Frominent  Civic  Worker. 

The  future  of  Pittsburgh  is  in  the  hands 
not  of  her  industrial  leaders  and  poten- 
tates alone,  but  also  in  those  of  the  men 
who  are  working  for  her  civic  improve- 
ment and  moral  betterment,  and  who 
administer  her  laws.  Her  standing  in  the 
years  to  come  depends  largely  on  the 
strides  she  makes  along  civic  and  social 
lines,  and  on  the  evenhanded  justice  she 
deals  out  to  all  her  citizens  without  dis- 
crimination of  rank;  fortune  or  social 
standing,  and  for  advancement  along 
these  lines  she  looks  with  confidence  to 
such  men  as  A.  Leo  Weil,  senior  member 
of  the  law  firm  of  Weil  &  Thorp,  and  one 
of  the  most  prominent  civic  workers  as 
well  as  one  of  the  most  prominent  and 
aggressive  attorneys  now  practicing  at 
the  bar  of  the  Iron  City.  For  more  than 
twenty-five  years  Mr.  Weil  has  been  a 
resident  of  Pittsburgh,  and  is  conspicu- 
ous as  one  of  her  most  prominent 
lawyers  and  as  well  one  of  the  most  civic- 
spirited  men  to  be  found  within  her 
limits,  prominently  associated  with  all 
her  most  vital  interests. 

A.  Leo  Weil  was  born  July  19,  1858, 
at  Keysville,  Charlotte  county,  Virginia, 
and  was  a  son  of  Isaac  L.  and  Minna 
(Weil)  Weil,  the  former  having  been  for 
several  years  established  in  business  in 
the  South.  The  ancestors  of  A.  Leo  Weil 
were  natives  of  Bavaria,  Germany.  The 
boy  received  his  elementary  education 
in  the  log  cabin  schoolhouses  of  Virginia, 
fame,  in  the  old  fashioned  boarding 
schools  of  Virginia,  and  in  the  high 
school  of  Titusville,  Pennsylvania,  to 
which  city  his  parents  removed  from 
Virginia.  He  attended  the  Academic  and 
Law  Departments  of  the  University  of 
Virginia,  and  in  1879  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  of  Virginia,  then  of  Ohio,  and  next  of 
Pennsylvania,  in  1880. 


From  1880  to  1887  Mr.  Weil  practiced 
at  Bradford,  Pennsylvania,  achieving 
more  than  usual  success,  but  in  the  latter 
year  a  desire  for  the  larger  opportunities 
of  a  wider  field  led  him  to  remove  to 
Pittsburgh,  where  he  has  since  continu- 
ously remained,  building  up  an  extensive 
and  lucrative  practice.  His  marked 
ability,  combined  with  devotion  to  duty, 
soon  brought  him  into  prominence  and 
he  became  the  legal  representative  of 
large  interests,  making  a  specialty  of 
corporation  law.  Strong  in  reasoning 
and  forceful  in  argument,  he  possesses 
that  legal  instinct  which  makes  its  way 
quickly  through  immaterial  details  to  the 
essential  points  upon  which  the  deter- 
mination of  a  cause  must  turn,  and  he 
combines  with  his  other  qualifications 
much  of  the  magnetic  force  of  the  orator. 
Into  every  cause  intrusted  to  him  he 
throws  the  whole  force  of  his  personality, 
learning,  skill  and  experience,  allowing 
none  of  the  many  interests  committed 
to  his  care  to  sufifer  for  want  of  close  and 
able  attention  and  industry. 

In  all  that  concerns  the  city's  welfare 
Mr.  Weil's  interest  is  deep  and  sincere, 
and  wherever  substantial  aid  will  further 
public  progress  it  is  freely  given.  Bril- 
liant, stalwart,  with  keen  resentment  of 
wrong,  and  of  wide  and  ripe  experience, 
he  has  been  identified  with  Pittsburgh's 
most  important  civic  movements,  and  is 
one  of  the  men  who  are  consulted  on  all 
matters  and  questions  of  public  moment. 
From  1905  to  the  present  time  he  has 
been  president  of  the  Voters'  League,  and 
was  largely  instrumental  in  bringing 
about  the  well-remembered  graft  dis- 
closures and  m  purifying  the  politics  of 
Pittsburgh.  Among  the  other  most 
notable  achievements  of  the  Voters' 
League  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Weil 
may  be  mentioned  the  following:  The 
saving  of  Grant  Boulevard  from  occu- 
pation by  street  railways,  and  thus  pre- 


1848 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BlOGRAi^HY 


serving  that  magnificent  driveway  to  the 
city;  the  disclosures  of  the  corrupt  man- 
agement of  a  large  number  of  school 
boards  in  the  many  school  districts,  and 
the  consequent  enactment  of  a  school 
code  placing  the  management  of  the 
public  schools  under  one  body  of  direc- 
tors, virhich  has  given  to  Pittsburgh  one 
of  the  most  efficient  and  satisfactory 
public  school  systems  in  the  country ;  the 
passage  of  a  civil  service  law  placing  all 
city  employees  under  civil  service ;  the 
adoption  of  an  amendment  to  the  charter 
of  Pittsburgh  substituting  a  council  of 
nine,  elected  at  large,  for  the  unwieldly 
and  irresponsible  bi-cameral  council 
(select  and  common)  of  a  large  number; 
and  to  these  might  be  added  many  other 
reforms  and  advances  along  the  line  of 
civic  betterment,  due  largely  to  the  ac- 
tivities of  the  League  under  the  personal 
direction  of  its  president.  Mr.  Weil  be- 
longs to  the  National  Municipal  League 
and  the  National  Civil  Service  Associ- 
ation, and  many  other  national  organiza- 
tions, civil  and  educational,  and  philan- 
thropic. In  the  charitable  and  benevolent 
institutions  of  his  adopted  city,  he  takes 
an  active  interest  and  is  ever  ready  tc 
respond  to  any  deserving  call  made  on 
him.  He  is  a  member  of  the  American 
Jewish  Committee,  the  American  Bar 
Association,  the  Pennsylvania  Bar  Asso- 
ciation and  the  Westmoreland  Country, 
Edge  wood  Country  and  Pittsburgh  Ath- 
letic clubs,  and  the  City  Club  of  New 
York. 

On  the  countenance  of  Mr.  Weil  are 
strongly  depicted  that  will-power,  fidelity 
and  tenacity  of  purpose  which  through- 
out his  career  has  been  so  strikingly 
manifested.  Of  deep  convictions  and 
great  force  of  character,  he  belongs  to 
that  class  of  men  who  wield  a  power 
which  is  all  the  more  pervasive  and 
dominating  from  the  fact  that  it  is  moral 
lather  than  political  and  is  exercised  for 


the  public  weal  rather  than  for  personal 
ends.  His  tastes  and  temperament  would 
alike  incline  him  to  shun  publicity,  but 
his  rare  ability  in  achieving  results 
causes  him  to  be  constantly  sought  and 
often  brings  him  into  a  prominence  from 
which  he  would  naturally  shrink  were 
less  desirable  ends  in  view.  Dignified 
and  courteous  on  all  occasions,  his  genial 
personality  has  drawn  around  him  a  large 
circle  of  warmly  attached  friends. 

Mr.  Weil  married,  April  ii,  1883,  Cas- 
sie,  daughter  of  Ferdinand  and  Minnie 
Ritter,  of  Youngstown,  Ohio,  and  they 
are  the  parents  of  three  children :  A 
daughter,  Aimee  Leona,  married  to 
Julian  H.  Stein,  of  Milwaukee,  Wiscon- 
sin ;  a  son,  Ferdinand  T.,  aged  twenty- 
five,  who  is  a  graduate  of  Princeton, 
class  1913,  now  taking  the  law  course  in 
the  University  of  Pittsburgh,  and  is  a 
law  student  in  his  father's  office ;  a  son, 
A.  Leo  Jr.,  aged  nineteen,  who  is  now 
a  junior  in  Princeton  University.  The 
Weil  family  are  active  socially,  and  their 
beautiful  home  in  the  East  End  is  one  of 
the  social  centres  of  the  city. 

Albeit  not  a  native  of  Pittsburgh,  Mr. 
Weil  has  shown  himself,  in  all  phases 
of  his  career,  to  be  an  incarnation  of  her 
spirit.  Both  at  the  bar  and  in  the  civic 
arena  he  has  been  a  leader  of  force  and 
magnetism.  Nor  can  the  phrase  "has 
been"  be  applied  to  him  in  any  sense 
which  implies  limitation.  With  a  man  of 
his  type  the  past  is  a  warrant  for  the 
future,  and  the  record  of  A.  Leo  \\'eil, 
rich  in  achievement  as  it  is,  gives  abund- 
ant assurance  of  greater  things  to  come. 


WALLACE,  James  O.,  M.  D., 

Specialist,  Hospital   Official. 

Among  the  young  surgeons  of  Pitts- 
burgh is  Dr.  James  Oliver  Wallace. 
Tames  Wallace,  his  grandfather,  was  a 
native  of  Ireland,  and  married  there. 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


James  (2),  son  of  James  (1)  Wallace, 
was  born  in  Ireland,  and  in  1852  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States,  settling  in 
Pittsburgh,  where  he  conducted  a  suc- 
cessful grocery  business,  retiring  five  or 
ten  years  before  his  death.  He  was  a 
man  of  prominence  in  his  adopted  city, 
a  Democrat  in  politics  and  in  a  quiet  way 
very  charitable.  He  married  Letitia 
Mathews,  born  in  Freehold,  North  of 
Ireland,  who  came  with  her  parents  to 
the  United  States,  making  their  home  in 
Pittsburgh.  Their  daughter  was  then 
twelve  years  old  and  they  were  also  ac- 
companied by  three  sons,  one  of  whom, 
James,  is  still  living  in  Pittsburgh,  having 
retired  from  business.  The  following 
children  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Wallace:  Isabel;  Mrs.  John  Hamilton, 
of  Pittsburgh,  has  two  children ;  John  T., 
of  Pittsburgh ;  William  Charles,  in  steel 
business  in  Pittsburgh,  is  married  and 
has  four  children ;  James  Oliver,  men- 
tioned below;  Robert  D.,  of  Independ- 
ence, Kansas,  in  oil  and  gas  business,  is 
married  and  has  one  child ;  and  three 
others,  all  of  whom  died  young.  Mr. 
Wallace  died  January,  1900,  and  his 
widow  resides  in  Pittsburgh. 

James  Oliver,  son  of  James  (2)  and 
Letitia  (Mathews)  Wallace,  was  born 
January  17,  1877,  in  Pittsburgh,  and 
first  attended  the  public  schools,  passing 
thence  successively,  to  the  high  school, 
the  Park  Institute  and  Kenyon  College, 
where  he  graduated,  in  1902,  with  the 
degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  He  then  en- 
tered the  Medical  Department  of  the 
University  of  Pittsburgh,  and  in  1906 
received  from  that  institution  the  degree 
of  Doctor  of  Medicine.  After  serving  for 
thirteen  months  as  interne  in  the  Alle- 
gheny General  Hospital  and  for  thirteen 
months  filling  the  position  of  resident 
physician  in  the  Children's  Hospital,  Dr. 
Wallace  entered  upon  a  career  of  general 
practice  in  his  native  city.    His  attention 


however,  was  especially  attracted  toward 
orthopedic  surgery,  and  in  1912  he  began 
to  devote  himself  exclusively  to  that 
branch  of  his  profession.  He  was  for  a 
time  shortly  after  graduation  a  member 
of  the  staff  of  the  Pittsburgh  Free  Dis- 
pensary, and  for  some  years  was  assistant 
orthopedic  surgeon  to  the  Allegheny 
General  Hospital.  He  is  also  orthopedic 
surgeon  to  the  Children's  Hospital,  out- 
patient department,  the  Industrial  Home 
for  Crippled  Children,  Mercy  Hospital, 
and  the  Sewickley  Convalescent  Home 
for  Crippled  Children.  He  is  Instructor 
in  Orthopedic  Surgery  to  the  University 
of  Pittsburgh.  In  addition  to  his  other 
official  duties  he  discharges  those  of  sec- 
retary of  the  staff  of  the  Children's  Hos- 
pital. He  is  a  fellow  of  the  American 
College  of  Surgeons  and  a  member  of  the 
American  Medical  Association,  the  Penn- 
sylvania State  Medical  Association,  and 
the  Allegheny  County  Medical  Society. 

Dr.  Wallace  takes  an  interest  in  local 
and  national  politics,  voting  with  the 
Independent  Republicans.  He  belongs  to 
the  Alpha  Kappa  Kappa  and  Phi  Beta 
Kappa  fraternities  and  is  a  member  of 
Trinity  Protestant  Episcopal  Church.  His 
only  club  is  the  University. 

Dr.  Wallace  married,  November  23, 
1914,  Edith  B.,  daughter  of  the  late 
George  R.  Boswell,  of  Pittsburgh,  Mr. 
Boswell  was  a  merchant  of  the  North 
Side. 


HUSTON,  Abraham  Francis, 

Iieading  Ironmaster. 

Abraham  Francis  Huston  was  born  at 
Coatesville,  Pennsylvania,  July  7,  1852, 
one  of  the  seven  children  of  Dr.  Charles 
Huston  and  Isabella  Pennock  Lukens. 
His  grandfather.  Dr.  Robert  Mendenhall 
Huston,  was  a  member  of  the  faculty  of 
Jefiferson  Medical  College  of  Philadelphia, 
and  his  father,  who  was  a  physician,  was 
850 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


also  a  graduate  of  the  same  institution, 
later  studying  in  Paris  and  Heidelberg. 
His  grandmother  was  descended  from 
the  brother  of  Benjamin  West,  the  fam- 
ous painter,  who  for  many  years  was 
historical  painter  to  King  George  III.  of 
England,  and  president  of  the  Royal 
Academy,  and  who  painted  about  four 
hundred  pictures,  of  which  probably  the 
most  noteworthy  are  "Aggripina  Land- 
ing with  the  Ashes  of  Germanicus," 
"Death  of  General  Wolfe,"  "Battle  of  La 
Hougue,"  "Death  on  the  Pale  Horse," 
"Christ  Healing  the  Sick,"  the  "Crucifix- 
ion," and  the  "Ascension."  His  mother 
was  a  daughter  of  Dr.  Charles  Lukens, 
head  of  the  Lukens  Iron  &  Steel  Com- 
pany of  Coatesville. 

Having  received  a  good  education  in 
his  native  town  and  having  completed  a 
course  at  Taylor  Academy,  Coatesville, 
the  young  man  was  prepared  for  college 
by  private  tutors.  He  was  then  sent  to 
Haverford  College,  at  Haverford,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  graduated  from  that  insti- 
tution in  1872  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Arts.  Dr.  Charles  Huston  (the  father 
of  A.  F.  Huston)  entered  the  iron  busi- 
ness in  1850  and  was  actively  engaged 
in  it  up  to  the  time  of  his  death  in  1897. 
He  was  considered  one  of  the  country's 
greatest  experts  on  the  manufacture  of 
boiler  plates,  and  was  chiefly  responsible 
for  the  development  of  that  branch  of 
the  Lukens  works,  which  was  the  first 
in  America  to  make  boiler  plates.  In 
1877  Dr.  Huston  was  chosen  chairman 
of  a  committee  of  representatives  from 
the  manufacturers  of  boiler  plates  ap- 
pointed to  confer  with  the  board  of  super- 
vising steamboat  inspectors  for  the  pur- 
pose of  framing  a  proper  standard  of 
tests.  Having  conducted  extensive  ex- 
periments in  the  properties  of  iron  and 
steel,  and  having  had  much  experience 
in  the  testing  of  boiler  plates.  Dr.  Hus- 
ton's recommendations  were  adopted  by 
PEN— Vol  VI— 2  I 


the  board  of  inspectors.  As  a  result  of 
Dr.  Huston's  long  experience  and  great 
ability  he  was  also  selected  by  Chauncey 
M.  Depew  in  1895  as  the  most  capable 
man  to  prepare  the  history  of  the  iron 
and  steel  industry  for  his  "One  Hundred 
Years  of  American  Commerce." 

It  was  only  natural  therefore  that  the 
younger  Huston  should  be  trained  in  the 
iron  and  steel  industry.  Immediately 
after  leaving  college  he  entered  the 
Lukens  Iron  &  Steel  Company  and  work- 
ed in  every  department,  both  in  the  shops 
and  in  the  office,  so  that  he  might  have  a 
thorough,  practical  knowledge  of  every 
branch  of  the  business.  In  1875,  after 
three  years  of  experience,  he  became  the 
junior  member  of  the  firm  of  Huston, 
Penrose  &  Company,  and  ever  since  has 
remained  a  member  of  this  firm  and  of 
the  company  which  succeeded  it,  the 
Lukens  Iron  and  Steel  Company,  in  Jan- 
uary, 1897,  upon  the  death  of  his  father, 
being  elected  to  the  presidency  of  the 
company. 

The  Lukens  Iron  and  Steel  Company 
was  originally  established  about  1780  by 
Isaac  Pennock,  who  erected  a  mill  for  the 
manufacture  of  iron  at  Rokeby,  Buck 
Run,  Chester  county,  only  four  miles  dis- 
tant from  the  location  of  the  present 
works.  Twenty  years  later  he  bought  a 
saw-mill  property  at  Coatesville  and  con- 
verted it  into  an  iron  mill,  this  being  the 
foundation  of  the  present  large  works  of 
the  Lukens  Company.  From  1816  until 
his  death  in  1825  Dr.  Charles  Lukens. 
Pennock's  son-in-law  and  the  maternal 
grandfather  of  the  present  head  of  the 
company,  carried  on  the  business  and 
upon  his  death  was  succeeded  in  the 
management  by  his  widow,  Rebecca  W. 
Lukens.  Mrs.  Lukens  developed  the 
business  in  a  most  remarkable  manner 
and  displayed  a  wonderful  and  extra- 
ordinary amount  of  business  acumen. 
Upon  the  death  of  Mrs.  Lukens,  her  sons- 

851 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


in-law,  Abraham  Gibbons  and  Dr. 
Charles  Huston,  undertook  the  direction 
of  the  company's  affairs,  but  in  1855  Mr. 
Gibbons  retired,  leaving  the  entire  man- 
agement in  Dr.  Huston's  hands. 

Dr.  Huston  and  his  partner,  Charles 
Penrose,  who  entered  the  business  in 
1859,  carried  on  the  business  together 
until  1881,  when  Mr.  Penrose  died,  and 
thus  Dr.  Huston  was  called  upon  to  man- 
age the  business.  He  had,  however,  the 
aid  of  his  two  sons,  A.  F.  and  C.  L.,  the 
former  of  whom,  as  said  before,  entered 
the  company  in  1872,  and  the  three  to- 
gether gradually  expanded  the  business 
until  at  the  present  time  the  works  cover 
an  area  of  more  than  two  hundred  acres 
upon  which  stand  twelve  large  buildings 
and  employ  nearly  two  thousand  oper- 
atives. Up  to  the  time  of  Dr.  Huston's 
death  in  1897,  the  steel  works  were  of 
rather  small  proportions,  although  they 
had  been  enlarged  in  1890.  Two  years 
after  Dr.  Huston's  death  at  the  time  of 
a  boom  in  the  iron  business,  his  sons  be- 
gan to  greatly  enlarge  the  plant,  and  as 
a  result  of  their  efforts  during  a  period 
of  three  or  four  years,  the  plant  was  ex- 
panded to  three  times  its  previous  extent. 
It  had  been  Dr.  Huston's  openly  avowed 
policy  never  to  fall  behind  in  the  race  but 
to  keep  well  abreast  of  the  times.  He 
frequently  said,  "It  is  better  in  the  iron 
and  steel  business  to  be  ahead  of  the  times 
rather  than  behind  in  the  smallest  de- 
gree." In  1881,  shortly  after  the  death  of 
Mr.  Penrose,  Dr.  Huston's  health  began 
to  fail,  and  the  active  management  of  the 
business  devolved  upon  his  eldest  son,  A. 
F.  Huston,  the  doctor  simply  acting  in  an 
advisory  capacity  from  that  time  until 
his  death  in  1897. 

But  the  younger  Pluston's  time  has  not 
been  entirely  occupied  with  the  affairs  of 
the  Lukens  Company.  With  the  advance 
in  position  and  accumulation  of  means 
came    further    responsibilities    and    new 


offices,  and  at  the  present  time,  in  addi- 
tion to  his  office  of  president  of  the 
Lukens  Iron  and  Steel  Company,  Mr. 
Huston  is  president  of  the  Coatesville 
Trust  Company,  a  director  of  the  Wil- 
mington &  Northern  branch  of  the  Phil- 
adelphia &  Reading  Railroad  Company, 
and  in  1902  was  president  of  the  Asso- 
ciation of  American  Steel  Manufacturers. 
He  is  also  interested  in  many  institutions 
of  a  benevolent  character,  and  was  for 
years  president  of  the  Coatesville  Hos- 
pital. 

Mr.  Huston  has  always  been  very  fond 
of  traveling,  and  has  not  only  traversed 
a  greater  part  of  his  native  land  but  also 
of  Europe.  In  1883  he  visited  Europe  and 
traveled  from  North  Cape,  Norway,  to 
Naples,  Italy,  covering  Norway,  Sweden, 
Denmark,  Great  Britain  and  the  Conti- 
nent. He  again  went  abroad  in  1886  and 
a  third  time  in  1889.  A  fourth  trip  was 
taken  to  Europe  in  the  early  summer  of 
1914.  After  touring  over  England,  Wales, 
and  Scotland,  largely  by  automobile,  with 
his  family,  he  went  to  Paris  and  was  there 
when  the  great  war  broke  out  about  Au- 
gust 1st.  After  going  through  many 
trials  and  inconveniences,  he  was  able 
to  get  to  Havre  by  automobile  with  only 
such  baggage  as  could  be  carried  in  it. 
The  ship's  sailing  was  delayed  by  war 
conditions  for  about  a  week,  but  finally 
the  passage  was  made  homeward  without 
mishap.  In  1885  he  visited  many  of  the 
principal  cities  of  Mexico,  New  Mexico, 
California,  Colorado.  Oregon,  Washing- 
ton, and  British  Columbia.  His  favorite 
recreation  is  golfing,  his  skill  in  which 
has  earned  him  many  handsome  trophies, 
and  he  is  a  member  of  the  St.  Davids 
Golf  Club  (of  which  he  was  for  two  years 
president"),  and  the  Merion  Cricket  Club. 
Mr.  Huston  has  twice  been  married ; 
his  first  wife  was  Miss  Alice  Galley, 
whom  he  married  in  Philadelphia  in 
1889,  and  who  died  in  April,  1906.  and  his 
852 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


second  wife,  whom  he  married  in  October, 
1907,  was  Miss  Alfie  Frances  Sly,  of  Vir- 
ginia. To  the  first  union  three  daughters 
were  born:  Isabel  (born  1890),  Alice  R. 
(born  1897),  and  Marjorie  C.  (born  1899). 


MAGEE,  Christopher, 

Jjavryer,  Jurist,  Liegislator. 

The  late  Christopher  Magee,  for  many 
years  Judge  of  the  Court  of  Common 
Pleas  of  Allegheny  county,  and  for  more 
than  two-score  and  ten  a  distinguished 
member  of  the  Pittsburgh  bar,  was  one 
of  the  city's  most  commanding  figures 
during  the  latter  decades  of  the  nine- 
teenth century  and  the  opening  years  of 
the  twentieth.  Throughout  the  long 
period  of  his  residence  in  the  metropolis, 
Judge  Magee  was  zealous  in  the  promo- 
tion of  her  leading  interests,  and  took 
an  active  and  influential  part  in  the  sphere 
of  local  and  State  politics. 

Robert  Magee,  grandfather  of  Chris- 
topher Magee,  was  born  in  1737,  in 
County  Derry,  Ireland,  and  in  1788,  with 
his  wife  and  seven  children,  emigrated  to 
the  United  States,  finding  a  home  in  the 
then  infant  city  of  Pittsburgh. 

(II)  Christopher,  youngest  child  of 
Robert  Magee,  was  but  two  years  old 
when  brought  by  his  parents  to  the 
United  States.  He  married  Jane  Watson, 
born  in  1796,  in  Pittsburgh,  of  Scotch 
parentage.  She  was  a  granddaughter  of 
Alexander  and  Elizabeth  (Edmundson) 
Thomson,  who  in  July,  1771,  embarked 
on  the  ship  "Friendship,"  in  the  harbor 
of  Greenock,  Scotland,  arriving  in  Bos- 
ton, Massachusetts,  in  the  following  Sep- 
tember, accompanied  by  their  twelve 
children,  and  soon  made  their  way  to 
Franklin  county,  Pennsylvania,  where 
they  settled.  Alexander  Thomson  was 
the  American  progenitor  of  Frank  Thom- 
son, who  became  president  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Railroad  Company,  and  the  late 


Dr.  William  Thomson,  a  famc;us  oculist 
of  Philadelphia.  The  family  of  the  Wat- 
sons was  one  of  the  most  conspicuous 
of  that  day  in  Pittsburgh,  two  of  them 
at  one  time  owning  most  of  the  land 
extending  from  Wylie  street  to  the  Mo- 
nongahela  river,  and  between  what  is  now 
High  street  and  a  line  near  Stevenson 
street.  A  brother  of  Mrs.  Magee  was  a 
practicing  lawyer,  but  was  more  devoted 
to  scientific  studies,  building  the  first 
Allegheny  County  Observatory,  an  en- 
tirely private  one,  on  a  part  of  the  Hill, 
near  what  is  now  Chestnut  street.  He 
also  took  the  first  "sun-types"  (then 
called  daguerreotypes,  from  the  inventor, 
Daguerre)  that  were  ever  made  in 
America. 

(Ill)  Christopher  (2),  son  of  Chris- 
topher (i)  and  Jane  (Watson)  Magee, 
was  born  December  5,  1829,  in  Pitts- 
burgh, his  first  recollections  being  of  a 
home  in  Second  street,  now  Second  ave- 
nue. Later  the  family  moved  to  Wylie 
street.  The  boy  Christopher  received  his 
preparatory  education  in  private  schools 
of  his  native  city  and  at  the  Pittsburgh 
Academy.  His  father  having  died  soon 
after  the  removal  to  Wylie  street,  Mrs. 
Magee  removed  with  her  family  to  Phil- 
adelphia, and  there  the  future  judge,  who 
had  already  studied  for  a  time  at  the 
Western  University  of  Pennsylvania,  ma- 
triculated in  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, graduating  in  1849  ^s  Bachelor  of 
Arts.  He  was  later  honored  by  his  alma 
mater  with  the  degrees  of  Master  of  Arts 
and  Doctor  of  Laws. 

The  legal  studies  of  Mr.  Magee  were 
begun  in  the  ofifice  of  William  B.  Reed 
and  Alexander  McKinley,  of  the  Phila- 
delphia bar,  and  he  also  attended  lectures 
at  the  Law  School  of  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  then  under  the  direction 
of  Judge  Sharswood.  Mr.  Magee  gradu- 
ated from  the  law  school  in  1852,  and  in 
December  of  the  same  year  was  admitted 
853 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


to  the  Philadelphia  bar.  Soon  after  he 
was  admitted  to  practice  in  the  Supreme 
Court. 

Standing  thus  on  the  threshold  of  his 
professional  life,  the  heart  of  the  young 
man  turned  toward  his  native  city,  and 
there  awoke  in  him  an  earnest  desire  to 
make  Pittsburgh  his  field  of  labor  and  the 
scene  of  his  future  career.  Accordingly 
he  returned  to  his  boyhood's  home,  and 
on  April  ii,  1853,  on  motion  of  Colonel 
Samuel  W.  Black,  was  admitted  to  prac- 
tice in  the  Allegheny  county  courts.  In 
entering  upon  the  practice  of  his  profes- 
sion in  his  native  city,  Mr.  Magee  had  the 
support  of  ancestral  tradition  and  family 
prestige.  Colonel  Black,  on  whose  mo- 
tion he  had  been  admitted  to  practice, 
and  who  was  at  one  time  governor  of 
Nebraska,  was  a  kinsman,  and  Matthew 
J.  Magee,  of  the  Pittsburgh  bar,  and  later 
of  the  United  States  army,  was  an  uncle. 
Another  uncle  was  Robert  Watson,  a 
graduate  of  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, class  of  1820.  Other  kinsmen,  near 
and  more  remote,  were  W.  W.  Thomson, 
who  prepared  the  "Pittsburgh  Digest;" 
the  Rev.  Samuel  B.  Wyhe,  D.  D.,  of  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania ;  the  Rev. 
John  Black,  D.  D.,  a  professor  in  the 
Western  University  of  Pennsylvania ; 
the  Hon.  Christopher  L.  Magee,  of  Pitts- 
burgh, and  Thomas  A.  Hendricks,  who 
became  Vice-President  of  the  United 
States. 

But  anyone  who  imagined  that  in  re- 
turning to  Pittsburgh,  Mr.  Magee 
thought  of  relying  on  anything  but  his 
own  native  ability  and  unaided  eflbrts 
would  show  himself  totally  unacquainted 
with  the  character  of  this  remarkable 
man.  From  the  day  of  his  opening  an 
office  in  the  Iron  City  he  was  the  maker 
of  his  own  fortune.  By  dint  of  thorough 
equipment,  inborn  talent  and  devotion 
to  duty  he  acquired  a  large  clientele,  rep- 
resenting individuals  and  many  import- 

1 


ant  Corporations,  rising  rapidly  to  a  posi- 
tion of  prominence  and  becoming  one  of 
the  rejresentative  lawyers  of  the  metrop- 
olis. 

In  1885  Mr.  Magee  was  appointed  by 
Governor  Pattison,  Judge  of  the  Court 
of  Common  Pleas,  No.  2,  of  Allegheny 
county,  and  in  November,  1886,  he  was 
elected  for  the  full  term  of  ten  years  from 
January,  1887.  During  this  period 
Judge  Magee  presided  at  the  trial  ot 
thousands  of  civil  and  criminal  cases, 
proving  himself  throughout  a  learned, 
discerning  and  impartial  jurist.  In  1S97 
he  retired  from  the  bench,  leaving  a 
record  which  forms  one  of  the  brightest 
pages  in  the  legal  annals  of  Allegheny 
county. 

In  politics  Judge  Magee  was  a  lifelong 
Democrat,  and  in  1856  was  elected  to  the 
Pennsylvania  Legislature.  On  two  occa- 
sions he  was  the  candidate  of  his  party 
for  mayor  of  Pittsburgh.  He  was  also 
nominated  for  Judge  of  the  Orphans" 
Court  of  Allegheny  county,  and  in  1895 
the  Democrats  made  him  their  candidate 
for  Judge  of  the  Superior  Court  of  Penn- 
sylvania. Pie  served  once  as  a  Presiden- 
tial elector. 

Among  the  associations  and  institu- 
tions with  which  Judge  Magee  was  con- 
nected were  the  Shady  Side  Academy,  of 
which  he  was  one  of  the  incorporators, 
as  he  was  also  of  the  Hospital  for  Chil- 
dren and  the  Allegheny  Cemetery.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Academy  of  Arts 
and  Sciences,  the  Pittsburgh  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  the  University  Club  of  Phil- 
adelphia, the  Delta  Phi  Club  of  New 
York  and  the  Pennsylvania  Forestry  As- 
sociation. He  was  given  degrees  by 
many  institutions  of  learning. 

It  was  said  of  Judge  Magee  that  "he 
was  as  true  as  steel  and  as  pure  as  gold," 
and  one  glance  at  his  countenance  would 
?onfirn!  the  statement.  It  was  a  face 
'jf  mingled  strength  and  refinement,  a  face 
S54 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


radiant  with  kindliness  and  good  will, 
the  face  of  a  man  who  drew  men  to  him. 
There  could  be  no  better  proof  of  his 
immense  personal  popularity  than  the 
fact  that,  in  a  strong  Republican  district, 
he  was  elected  to  the  Legislature.  Gray 
moustache,  with  a  short  beard  of  the 
same  hue,  emphasized  the  distinction  of 
his  finely  cut  features  and  his  dark  eyes 
were  at  once  deeply  thoughtful  and  keen- 
ly penetrating. 

Judge  Magee  married,  January  12, 
1859,  Elizabeth  Louise,  born  August  8, 
1836,  daughter  of  Rev.  John  Neil  and 
Margaret  Thomson  (Wylie)  McLeod,  of 
New  York  City,  and  they  became  the 
parents  of  the  following  children :  John 
Neil  McLeod,  born  October  22,  1859, 
died  in  infancy ;  Margaret  McLeod,  born 
June  7.  1861,  became  the  wife  of  Kier 
Mitchell,  of  Pittsburgh,  and  died  Octo- 
ber 13,  1894,  leaving  a  daughter,  Eliza- 
beth Louise  McLeod  ;  Christopher,  whose 
biography  appears  in  this  work;  Norman 
McLeod,  born  October  14,  1867,  died  at 
the  age  of  fourteen  years ;  Jane  Watson, 
born  December  23,  i86g,  died  June  15, 
1880;  and  Walter  Pollock,  born  Septem- 
ber 23,  1874,  of  Pittsburgh.  Judge  Ma- 
gee and  his  family  were  members  of  the 
Shady  Side  Presbyterian  Church,  and 
their  home  life  was  one  of  great  beauty 
and  simplicity.  She  who  was  its  heart 
and  centre,  the  devoted  wife  and  mother, 
passed  away  March  4,  1902. 

The  years  of  Judge  Magee  were  pro- 
longed far  beyond  the  traditional  limit 
of  human  life.  Within  a  few  months  of 
the  eightieth  anniversary  of  his  birth  he 
closed  his  career  of  usefulness  and  honor, 
breathing  his  last  on  July  3,  1909,  and 
retaining  almost  to  the  latest  moment  his 
physical  and  mental  vigor.  The  mourn- 
ing for  him  was  universal,  men  of  all 
classes  of  the  community  ofifering  to  his 
memory  tributes  of  veneration  and  love. 

Judge  Magee  was  one  of  the  men  whose 


work  "lives  after  them."  The  record  of 
his  work  forms  part  of  the  history  of  the 
bench  and  bar  of  the  Keystone  State  and 
in  it  his  name  stands  as  that  of  a  patri- 
otic citizen,  a  learned  counsellor  and  a 
just  and  upright  judge. 


MAGEE,  Christopher,  Jr., 

La'nryer,  Publicist. 

Among  the  best  known  civil  practi- 
tioners at  the  Pittsburgh  bar  is  Chris- 
topher Magee  Jr.,  an  acknowledged  leader 
in  that  department  of  his  profession.  Mr. 
Magee  has  thus  far  been  a  lifelong  resi- 
dent of  the  metropolis,  and  all  his  inter- 
ests, professional  and  otherwise,  are 
centered  in  his  native  city. 

Christopher  Magee  Jr.  was  born  Octo- 
ber 3,  1863,  in  Pittsburgh,  and  is  a  son 
of  the  late  Judge  Christopher  and  Eliza- 
beth Louise  (McLeod)  Magee.  A  biog- 
raphy of  Judge  Magee,  with  full  ancestral 
record,  appears  on  a  preceding  page  in  this 
work.  Christopher  Magee  Jr.  received  his 
earliest  education  in  private  schools  of  his 
native  city,  and  after  a  due  course  of 
preparation  entered  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  graduating  in  1887  with 
the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  He  was 
fitted  for  his  profession  at  the  Law  School 
of  the  University,  and  in  1889  that  insti- 
tution conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Laws.  In  June  of  that  year 
he  was  admitted  to  the  Philadelphia  bar 
and  to  practice  in  the  Supreme  Court. 
A  bright  future  opened  before  him,  but, 
like  his  father,  he  was  desirous  of  iden- 
tifying himself  with  the  city  of  his  birth, 
and  in  June,  1890,  on  motion  of  Judge 
J.  McF.  Carpenter,  he  was  admitted  to 
the  Pittsburgh  bar.  In  Philadelphia  he 
read  law  in  the  office  of  Judge  George 
M.  Dallas,  and  in  Pittsburgh  his  precep- 
tor was  George  W.  Guthrie.  At  the  out- 
set of  his  career,  Mr.  Magee  practiced 
alone,  devoting  himself,  as  he  has  since 
855 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


done,  to  general  civil  practice.  For  a 
short  time  he  was  associated  with  Henry 
A.  Davis,  but  since  the  dissolution  of  that 
connection  has  been  without  a  partner. 
Mr.  Magee's  standing  at  the  bar  is  de- 
servedly high.  He  is  remarkable  for 
penetrating  and  accurate  analysis  of  the 
matters  submitted  for  his  consideration, 
and  in  painstaking  preparation  and  skill- 
ful presentation  of  cases  is  without  a 
superior. 

While  giving  his  exclusive  attention  to 
his  professional  obligations  and  refusing 
to  identify  himself  with  outside  interests, 
Mr.  Magee  is  never  found  lacking  in 
public  spirit.  He  votes  with  the  Demo- 
crats and  at  the  request  of  his  neighbors, 
repeated  many  years,  has  served  as 
burgess  of  Osborne  Borough.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Academy  of  Science  and 
Arts,  the  Pittsburgh  Athletic  Association, 
the  Delta  Phi  fraternity,  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  and  director  of  Pittsburgh 
Hospital  for  Children.  He  attends  the 
Sewickley  Presbyterian  Church. 

Dark  hair,  reflective  dark  eyes,  their 
keenness  undimmed  by  the  spectacles 
through  which  they  habitually  look, 
features  bearing  the  imprint  of  fineness  of 
nature  and  force  of  character  these  are  the 
distinctive  personal  traits  of  Christopher 
Magee  Jr.  His  mind  is  essentially  the 
legal  mind  and  his  temperament  the 
judicial  temperament.  He  is  naturally 
adapted  to  the  profession  he  has  chosen, 
as  his  twenty-five  years  of  successful 
practice  have  most  abundantly  proved. 
Withal  he  is  warmhearted  and  genial, 
making  friends  easily  and  holding  them 
long,  strong  and  true  in  his  attachments 
and  with  the  faculty  of  inspiring  equal 
fidelity  in  others. 

Mr.  Magee  married,  June  i,  1892,  Julia 
Vogdes  Heberton,  whose  ancestral  record 
is  appended  to  this  biography,  and  they 
are  the  parents  of  the  following  children : 


I.  Christopher,  born  March  28,  1893; 
educated  at  Sewickley  Preparatory 
School,  Allegheny  Preparatory  School 
and  Cornell  University,  graduating  in 
1915  as  Mechanical  Engineer,  and  now 
with  the  Standard  Underground  Cable 
Company.  2.  Margaret  Mitchell,  born 
January  4,  1895 !  educated  at  Sewickley 
Preparatory  School  and  Dana  Hall,  Wel- 
lesley,  class  of  1914.  3.  Helen  Heberton, 
born  April  27,  1897;  educated  at  Sewick- 
ley Preparatory  School  and  Dana  Hall, 
Wellesley,  class  of  191 5.  4.  Norman 
Heberton,  .  born  December  31,  1899; 
educated  at  Sewickley  Preparatory 
School.  5.  Julia  Heberton,  born  Septem- 
ber 30,  1902;  attending  Sewickley  Pre- 
paratory School.  6.  Elizabeth  Louise 
McLeod,  born  July  28,  1905,  attending 
Sewickley  Preparatory  School.  Mrs. 
Magee  is  a  woman  of  charming  person- 
ality, a  gracious  hostess  and  an  accom- 
plished homemaker,  causing  her  husband, 
a  man  of  uncommonly  strong  domestic 
affections,  to  find  the  hours  which  the 
strenuous  demands  of  his  profession  per- 
mit him  to  spend  at  his  own  fireside  the 
happiest  seasons  in  a  busy  life. 

Pittsburgh  is  fortunate  in  that  the  his- 
tory of  her  bar  is  the  work  of  men  of 
ability  and  honor.  She  is  doubly  fortunate 
in  that  its  record  of  the  present  day  is 
being  written  by  those  worthy  of  their 
predecessors — by  men  of  the  type  of 
Christopher  Magee  Jr. 

(The  Heberton  Line). 

George  Heberton,  the  first  ancestor  of 
record,  was  presumably  born  in  Scotland 
and  emigrated  to  the  United  States.  He 
married  Mary  Craig  (see  Craig  line). 

(II)  Alexander,  son  of  George  and 
Mary  (Craig)  Heberton,  was  born  May 
21,  1803,  in  Philadelphia,  and  was  a  minis- 
ter of  the  Presbyterian  church.  He  mar- 
ried    Elizabeth     Parker     Brooke     (see 

856 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Brooke  line),  who  died  February  3,  1884. 
The  dea,th  of  Mr.  Heberton  occurred  in 
Philadelphia,  October  26,  1894. 

(Ill)  Edward  Payson,  son  of  Alex- 
ander and  Elizabeth  Parker  (Brooke) 
Heberton,  was  born  August  12,  1830,  at 
Bath,  Northampton  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  educated  at  Lawrenceville, 
New  Jersey,  at  Lafayette  College  and 
Princeton  University.  After  spending  a 
short  time  in  the  oil  business  he  served 
in  the  United  States  navy  as  paymaster, 
and  before  the  Civil  War  was  connected 
with  the  United  States  Coast  Survey  and 
with  the  engineer  corps  of  the  Santa  Fe 
survey.  At  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil 
War,  the  vessel  on  which  Mr.  Heberton 
was  serving  as  paymaster  was  engaged 
in  the  battle  of  Newberne,  North  Caro- 
lina. But  notwithstanding  the  prospect 
of  preferment  which  opened  before  him, 
this  earnest  man  felt  that  he  was  called 
to  another  sphere  of  action,  that  it  was 
incumbent  upon  him  to  follow  in  the 
footsteps  of  his  father.  Accordingly,  he 
entered  Princeton  Theological  Seminary, 
graduating  in  the  spring  of  1868.  There- 
after his  life  was  that  of  an  able  and 
devoted  minister  of  the  Presbyterian 
communion. 

Mr.  Heberton  married,  .A.pril  2,  1868, 
in  Philadelphia,  Caroline  Eugenia  (Titus) 
Prevost  (see  Titus  line),  and  their  chil- 
dren were  :  Maxwell,  died  in  infancy  ; 
Julia  Vogdes,  mentioned  below ;  Edward 
T.,  born  May  19,  1873,  married,  at  Yak- 
ima, Washington,  Margaret  Boyle ; 
Helen  Catherine ;  Carrie  Eugenia,  mar- 
ried, January  26,  1905,  Davenport  Plumer. 
of  Philadelphia ;  and  Charles  Prevost, 
died  in  infancy.  The  mother  of  this  fam- 
ily, a  woman  of  lovely  personality  and 
admirably  fitted  to  be  the  helpmate  of 
her  husband  in  his  sacred  calling,  passed 
away  February  27,  1903,  at  Bridgeton, 
New  Jersey,  having  survived  her  husband 
nearly  twenty  years.     It  was  on  August 

I 


20,  1883,  that  Mr.  Heberton  ended  his 
course  of  unselfish  and  beneficent  service, 
breathing  his  last  at  Waldo,  Florida. 
"The  memory  of  the  just  is  blessed." 

(IV)  Julia  Vogdes,  daughter  of  Ed- 
ward Payson  and  Caroline  Eugenia 
(Titus)  (Prevost)  Heberton,  was  born 
July  2,  1871,  and  is  now  the  wife  of 
Christopher  Magee  Jr.,  as  stated  above. 

(The  Craig  Line). 

John  Craig  was  born  in  1733,  in  Scot- 
land, and  emigrated  to  the  province  of 
New  Jersey.  He  was  sergeant  of  the  Mon- 
mouth (New  Jersey)  militia,  and  during 
the  Revolutionary  War  served  in  the 
Continental  army.  On  April  5,  1776,  he 
was  appointed  sergeant,  and  in  May, 
1777,  became  first  lieutenant  of  Captain 
Elisha  Walters'  company  of  the  First 
New  Jersey  Regiment,  which  took  part 
in  the  battle  of  Monmouth.  Lieutenant 
Craig  was  also  a  member  of  the  Associ- 
ation. Monmouth,  New  Jersey.  He  mar- 
ried Jane  (Robinson)  English,  born  Au- 
gust 18.  17 — .  Lieutenant  Craig  died 
July  II,  1821. 

(II)  Mary,  daughter  of  John  and  Jane 
(Robinson)  (English)  Craig,  became  the 
wife  of  George  Heberton  (see  Heberton 
line). 

(The   Brooke  L-ine). 

John  Brooke  was  born  March  27,  1740, 
and  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution, 
serving  as  adjutant  of  the  Sixth  Battalion, 
Pennsylvania  Line,  and  captain  of  the 
Sixth  Battalion.  Pennsylvania  Militia. 
On  November  8,  1777,  he  was  appointed 
commissary  to  collect  clothing,  and  on 
October  4,  1781,  was  made  commissary 
for  raising  efifective  supplies  for  the  army. 
He  married  Elizabeth  Way,  who  was 
born  July  30,  1740,  and  died  November 
II,  1786.  Mr.  Brooke  himself  passed 
away  June  20,  1813. 

(II)  Robert,  son  of  John  and  Eliza- 
beth (Way)  Brooke,  was  born  February 
857 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


23,  1770,  and  married  Charlotte  Porter 
(see  Porter  line),  who  was  born  Febru- 
ary I,  1778,  and  died  August  i,  1850, 
long  surviving  her  husband  whose  death 
occurred  November  3,  1821. 

(Ill)  Elizabeth  Parker,  daughter  of 
Robert  and  Charlotte  (Porter)  Brooke, 
was  born  December  3,  1806,  and  became 
the  wife  of  the  Rev.  Alexander  Heberton 
(see  Heberton  line). 

(The  Porter  Line). 

Andrew  Porter    was    born    September 

24,  1743,  in  Montgomery  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  belonged  to  the  patriot 
army  of  the  Revolution.  On  June  19, 
1776,  he  was  made  captain  of  marines, 
serving  on  the  frigate  "Effingham,"  and 
on  January  i,  1777,  was  commissioned 
captain  in  the  Second  Regiment  of  Artil- 
lery, commanded  by  Colonel  Lamb.  On 
January  i,  1781,  he  was  transferred  to 
the  Fourth  Regiment  of  Artillery,  com- 
manded by  Colonel  Porter,  on  April  19, 
1 78 1,  was  promoted  to  major,  and  on 
January  i,  1783,  became  lieutenant-colo- 
nel commander.  From  May  10,  1809,  to 
December  7,  18 — ,  he  served  as  surveyor- 
general  of  Pennsylvania.  He  married 
Elizabeth  Parker,  who  was  born  near 
Norristown,  Pennsylvania,  and  his  death 
occurred  November  16,  1813,  at  Harris- 
burg,  Pennsylvania. 

(II)  Charlotte,  daughter  of  Andrew 
and  Elizabeth  (Parker)  Porter,  was  born 
February  i,  1778,  and  became  the  wife  of 
Robert  Brooke  (see  Brooke  line). 

(The  Titus   Line). 

Robert  Titus,  the  first  of  the  name  in 
America,  was  a  respectable  English  agri- 
culturist, living  near  Stanstead  Abbey, 
Hertfordshire,  England,  thirty  miles 
northeast  of  London.  In  1635  he  emi- 
grated to  the  province  of  Massachusetts, 
settling  at  Weymouth,  near  Boston,  and 
removing,  in   1644,  to  the  neighborhood 


of  Providence,  Rhode  Island.  In  1654  he 
migrated  to  Oyster  Bay,  Long  Island, 
New  York.  Robert  Titus  married,  in 
England,  Hannah  ,  and  their  chil- 
dren were :  John,  who  became  the  an- 
cestor of  the  New  England  Tituses ;  Ed- 
mond,  settled  in  Westbury,  Long  Island, 
New  York,  and  died  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
five,  having  had  eleven  children ;  Samuel, 
,«ettled  in  Huntington,  Long  Island,  New 
York ;  Content,  mentioned  below ;  Abiel, 
settled  in  Huntington,  Long  Island,  New 
York,  and  died  at  the  age  of  ninety-six ; 
and  Susannah. 

(II)  Content,  son  of  Robert  and  Han- 
nah Titus,  was  born  in  1643,  at  Wey- 
mouth, and  in  1672  removed  from  Hunt- 
ington to  Newtown,  Long  Island,  New 
York,  where  he  became  an  active  and 
valued  member  of  the  community,  pre- 
sumably serving  as  a  soldier,  inasmuch 
as  he  was  styled  "captain."  So  vigorous 
were  his  powers  at  eighty,  that  in  1724 
he  was  elected  to  an  eldership  in  the  Pres- 
byterian church  of  Newtown.  Captain 
Titus  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  the 
Rev.  John  Moore,  and  seven  children 
were  born  to  them.  Among  them  was 
John,  mentioned  below.  Captain  Titus 
died  in  1730. 

(III)  John,  son  of  Content  and  Eliza- 
beth (Moore)  Titus,  migrated,  prior  to 
1722,  to  the  township  of  Hopewell.     He 

married  Rebecca ,  and  among  their 

four  children  was  Andrew,  mentioned 
below.  John  Titus  died  in  1761  and  his 
widow  passed  away  the  following  year. 

(IV)  Andrew,  son  of  John  and  Rebecca 
Titus,  lived  on  his  farm  near  Titusville. 
He  married  Ilannah  Burrowes,  and  thev 
were  the  parents  of  three  children,  includ- 
ing John,  mentioned  below.  Andrew 
Titus  passed  away  in  1800. 

(V)  John  (2),  son  of  Andrew  and 
Hannah  (Burrowes)  Titus,  married 
Sarah,  daughter  of  Henry  Mershow.  and 


185S 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  their  three  children  Theodore  is  men- 
tioned below.  Mr.  Titus  died  in  1827  and 
the  death  of  his  widow  occurred  Janu- 
ary 28,  1828. 

(VI)  Theodore,  son  of  John  (2)  and 
Sarah  (Mershow)  Titus,  was  engaged  in 
the  lumber  business.  He  married  Cath- 
arine Howell  (see  Howell  line),  and 
among  their  children  was  a  daughter, 
Caroline  Eugenia,  mentioned  below. 

(VII)  Caroline  Eugenia,  daughter  of 
Theodore  and  Catharine  (Howell)  Titus, 
was  born  November  10,  1848,  at  Wilkes- 
Barre,  Pennsylvania,  and  married  (first) 
Eugene  Prevost  and  (second)  the  Rev. 
Edward  Payson  Heberton  (see  Heberton 
line). 

(The  Howell  Line). 

The  Howell  family  was  originally  of 
the  county  of  Kent,  England,  and  appears 
to  have  been  transplanted  to  the  Amer- 
ican colonies  at  least  two  centuries  ago. 

Daniel  Howell,  the  first  ancestor  of 
record,  removed  from  Long  Island,  New 
York,  to  Ewing,  New  Jersey,  where  he 
seems  to  have  passed  the  remainder  of 

his  life.     He  married  Mary  ,  and 

among  the  children  born  to  them  was 
Hezekiah,  mentioned  below.  Daniel 
Howell  died  April  25,  1732,  and  his  widow 
survived  him  many  years,  passing  away 
September  26,  1760,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
six. 

(II)  Hezekiah,  son  of  Daniel  and 
Mary  Howell,  was  born  August  7,  1727, 
and  was  an  elder  in  Ewing  Church.  He 
married  Hannah  Ellett,  and  of  their  chil- 
dren Ellett  is  mentioned  below.  Heze- 
kiah Howell  died  in  1800. 

(HI)  Ellett,  son  of  Hezekiah  and  Han- 
nah (Ellett)  Howell,  was  a  lieutenant  of 
the  First  Hunterdon  Regiment  and  also 
filled  the  position  of  assistant  quarter- 
master. He  married  Catharine  Flick,  of 
Philadelphia,  and  they  were  the  parents 
of  a  daughter,  Catharine,  mentioned  be- 
low.   Mrs.  Howell  died  in  1808,  at  the  age 


of  forty-nine,  and  the  death  of  her  hus- 
band occurred  in  1821,  when  he  was  six- 
ty-four years  old. 

(IV)  Catharine,  daughter  of  Ellett  and 
Catharine  (Flick)  Howell,  became  the 
wife  of  Theodore  Titus  (see  Titus  line). 


WINSTON,  John  Clark, 

Publisher,  Leader  in  Civic  Reform. 

Political  revolutions  bring  into  promi- 
nence men  possessing  strong  qualities  of 
leadership,  who  have  never  asserted 
themselves  in  public  life,  preferring  the 
less  troublous  activities  of  business  life. 
But  when  corruption  in  high  places 
threatens  the  life  of  their  city  they  come 
from  bank,  store,  office,  or  factory,  and 
by  applying  the  strong  arm  of  correction 
to  politicians  and  bosses  redeem  the  city, 
State,  and  nation. 

In  1905  there  was  a  political  revolu- 
tion in  Philadelphia.  The  city  was  shaken 
from  League  Island  to  Bridesburg  by  a 
mighty  force  which  overturned  the  ma- 
chine and  quickened  the  public  con- 
science. Philadelphia  will  never  again  be 
"corrupt  and  contented."  Men  arose, 
little  heard  of  heretofore  in  public  affairs, 
who  displayed  such  qualities  of  masterful 
leadership  that  they  have  ever  since  been 
prominently  in  the  public  eye.  One  of 
the  foremost  of  these  men  is  John  Clark 
Winston,  a  successful  business  man,  a 
lifelong  Republican,  who,  as  chairman  of 
the  Committee  of  Seventy,  has  been  very 
active  in  all  efforts  to  reform  municipal 
conditions.  He  is  of  Virginia  and  Caro- 
lina ancestry,  and  of  Quaker  blood  on 
both  sides.  Fie  is  of  commanding  pres- 
ence, and  has  a  direct  way  of  stating 
facts,  but  the  blunt  speech  that  tends 
upon  first  contact  to  repel  friendship  is 
but  his  way,  and  those  who  have  known 
him  longest  are  his  warmest  friends,  for, 
to  use  a  homely  phrase,  he  "wears  well." 
It  being  his  duty,  as  head  of  the  Commit- 
859 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


tee  of  Seventy,  openly  to  oppose  many 
prominent  public  men,  he  has  been  a  tar- 
get for  malicious  attack,  but  his  armor 
has  not  been  pierced,  and  every  move  he 
has  made  has  stood  the  fierce  light  of 
publicity,  and  no  malice,  self-interest,  or 
dishonest  bias  has  been  charged,  but  only 
a  sincere  desire  to  advance  the  public 
good  and  to  have  the  committee  serve 
the  purpose  for  which  it  was  formed. 
As  one  of  Philadelphia's  leading  pub- 
lishers, he  has  acquired  large  business 
interests,  and  in  the  commercial  world 
has  won  the  highest  and  most  honorable 
standing. 

The  Winstons  trace  from  early  days 
in  Virginia,  the  family  being  members  of 
the  Society  of  Friends.  Isaac  (i)  Winston 
had  a  son  Isaac,  who  married  Mary  Ann, 
daughter  of  Rev.  Peter  Fontaine,  rector 
of  "Westover"  parish,  Culpeper  county, 
Virginia,  in  17 19,  who  was  a  descendant 
of  John  de  la  Fontaine,  martyred  in 
France  in  1563.  Pleasant  Winston, 
grandfather  of  John  C.  Winston,  was  a 
prominent  commission  merchant  in  Rich- 
mond, Virginia,  his  residence  being  near 
the  old  church  wherein  Patrick  Henry 
(whose  mother  was  a  Winston),  delivered 
the  immortal  sentences  that  fired  the 
revolutionary  heart.  Through  his  wife, 
Pleasant  Winston  became  the  owner  of 
slaves  which,  under  the  laws  of  Virginia, 
he  could  not  free,  and,  being  a  Friend. 
he  could  not  keep.  He  could,  however, 
and  he  did,  send  them  to  Liberia.  Later 
he  left  Virginia,  and  moved  to  Indiana, 
Avith  a  large  family  of  young  children. 
Bowling  Henry  Winston,  son  of  Pleas- 
ant Winston,  was  born  in  Virginia,  went 
west  with  his  father,  but  soon  returned 
to  Virginia,  living  with  his  uncle  near 
Lynchburg,  and  attending  the  University 
of  Virginia.  Later  he  joined  his  family  in 
Indiana,  and  there  married  Anna,  a 
daughter  of  John  Clark,  a  Friend,  who 
with  others  of  his  faith  left  North  Caro- 


lina on  account  of  slavery,  they  becom- 
ing early  settlers  of  Indiana. 

John  Clark  Winston,  son  of  Bowling 
Henry  and  Anna  (Clark)  Winston,  was 
born  on  a  farm  near  Darlington,  Indiana, 
November  22,  1856,  and  there  resided 
until  he  was  thirteen  years  of  age.  He 
then  was  taken  to  Virginia  by  his  father, 
there  prepared  for  and  later  entered 
Haverford  College,  near  Philadelphia, 
whence  he  was  graduated  A.  B.,  class  of 
1881.  In  college  he  was  president  of  his 
class,  and  in  the  years  1895-96  was  presi- 
dent of  the  Alumni  Association  of  Haver- 
ford College. 

He  had  fvilly  intended  to  pursue  a 
course  of  legal  study  and  to  become  a 
lawyer,  but,  after  graduation,  a  Philadel- 
phia publishing  house  with  a  branch  in 
Indianapolis  made  him  so  tempting  an 
offer  that  he  accepted  it,  the  commercial 
world  gaining  and  the  professional  world 
losing  a  bright  light.  Mr.  Winston  spent 
two  years  in  Indianapolis,  liked  the  busi- 
ness, and  so  thoroughly  mastered  its  every 
detail  that  on  his  return  to  Philadelphia 
in  1884  he  established  himself  in  the  pub- 
lishing business,  his  first  location  being 
at  No.  1009  Arch  street,  directly  opposite 
the  present  large  establishment  that  bears 
his  name,  the  John  C.  Winston  Company, 
Publishers.  The  years  have  brought  him 
nothing  but  honor  and  success  as  a  pub- 
lisher and  man  of  affairs.  The  business, 
now  incorporated,  still  has  him  as  its 
efficient  executive  head,  and,  in  addition 
to  the  presidency  of  the  John  C.  Winston 
Company,  he  is  president  of  the  Standard 
Roller  Bearing  Company,  whose  plant 
extends  on  Girard  avenue  from  Forty- 
seventh  to  Fifty-second  streets.  He  is  an 
aggressive  business  man,  very  energetic 
and  very  determined.  One  of  the  depart- 
ments of  his  publishing  business  is  de- 
voted to  the  making  of  Bibles  in  every 
size,  and  in  that  line  of  publishing  he  is 
one  of  the  largest  producers  in  the  coun- 


1860 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


try.  Printers'  ink  may  be  said  to  have 
made  him  big  commercially.  Nature 
created  him  so  big  physically  and  men- 
tally that  had  he  chosen  his  first  ambition, 
the  law,  or  had  entered  any  other  field  of 
work,  he  would  have  succeeded  in  the 
same  degree.  But  as  a  publisher  he  be- 
gan and  as  a  publisher  he  continues. 

Prior  to  December,  1904,  little  had  been 
heard  of  Mr.  Winston  in  a  public  way,  so 
thoroughly  had  he  been  engrossed  in  his 
own  business.  He  knew  of  the  political 
conditions  affecting  Philadelphia  so  un- 
favorably, and  when  a  friend  met  him  on 
the  street  on  December  19th  and  invited 
him  to  attend  a  citizens'  meeting  in  the 
assembly  room  of  the  Bourse  to  form  an 
organization  for  permanent  reform  work 
in  municipal  afifairs,  he  accepted  the  invi- 
tation. There  he  was  surprised  by  being 
made  chairman  of  the  meeting,  and  on 
him  devolved  the  appointment  of  the 
Commitee  of  Seven  which  the  meeting 
voted  should  be  chosen  to  formulate  a 
plan  of  organization  for  the  promotion 
of  good  government  in  Philadelphia. 
This  committee  reported  to  a  subsequent 
meeting  of  which  Mr.  Winston  was  chair- 
man, advising  the  establishment  of  a 
Committee  of  Seventy,  which  was  done. 
That  was  the  beginning  of  the  Committee 
of  Seventy,  and  Mr.  Winston's  entry  into 
public  life,  as  he  was  chosen  chairman  of 
the  committee,  and  such  was  the  confi- 
dence the  citizens  reposed  in  him  that  he 
was  ordered  to  select  his  own  executive 
board  and  later  the  members  of  the  com- 
mittee. Since  that  time  his  activity  in  all 
efforts  to  bring  about  better  municipal 
conditions  has  never  ceased.  He  took 
prominent  part  in  the  gas  lease  fight 
against  the  United  Gas  Improvement 
Company,  worked  hard  for  the  City 
Party  and  its  candidates,  supported  Ru- 
dolph Blankenburg  as  mayor,  and  in  1912 
Theodore  Roosevelt  for  President.  His 
public  utterances  show  lofty  sentiments 


and  some  are  here  preserved:  "Where 
offices  are  the  spoils  of  victory  they  will 
be  distributed  by  the  bosses,  and  where 
ofifice  holders  are  the  creatures  of  the 
bosses  there  will  be  graft.  Our  own  ex- 
perience, that  of  other  cities,  and  of  the 
Federal  Government,  points  to  the  one 
conclusion,  that  it  is  only  by  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  'spoils  system'  and  the  faithful 
enforcement  of  the  'merit  system'  that 
honest  and  efficient  administration  can  be 
obtained."  "It  is  now  more  evident  than 
it  ever  was  before  that  the  only  political 
salvation  of  the  people  of  Philadelphia 
lies  in  the  utter  destruction  of  this  organ- 
ization, root  and  branch."  As  chairman 
of  the  Committee  of  Seventy  he  addressed 
a  letter  to  Governor  Pennypacker,  under 
date  of  May  i,  1905:  "The  present  atti- 
tude of  our  City  Councils  regarding  the 
gas  lease  will,  I  trust,  remove  from  your 
mind  any  possible  doubt  as  to  the  great 
danger  to  the  interests  of  the  city  which 
would  result  from  transferring  power 
and  responsibility  from  the  mayor  to 
Councils.  In  the  name  of  the  ten  thous- 
and representative  citizens  who  signed 
our  petition  and  in  the  name  of  the  one 
hundred  thousand  equally  interested  who 
would  sign  the  same  petition  if  oppor-- 
tunity  presented,  let  me  again  implore 
you  to  veto  the  so  called  ripper  bills.  No 
single  act  of  your  administration  will  so 
gratify  the  vast  majority  of  our  citizens. 
We  are  trusting  to  you  for  protection." 
The  objectionable  bills  were  vetoed  by 
the  Governor.  Defining  the  committee's 
position  on  municipal  ownership,  he  said 
in  part:  "We  do  not  oppose  the  public 
utility  corporations.  We  only  ask  them 
to  deal  fairly  and  honestly  with  the  mu- 
nicipality. My  own  individual  opinion 
is  that  it  is  better  to  encourage  private 
enterprise  and  capital  by  the  most  liberal 
treatment.  Let  the  railroads  and  all 
public  utility  corporations  learn  once  for 
all  that  we  will  no  longer  tolerate 
861 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


bribery  and  corruption,  but  that  they  can 
obtain  all  that  is  fair  by  honorable 
methods.  Let  the  people  learn  and  never 
forget  that  in  dealing  with  astute  and  able 
heads  of  these  corporations  their  interests 
must  be  protected  by  having  astute  and 
honest  men  of  ability  to  represent  them 
I  do  not  find  serious  fault  with  the  United 
Gas  Improvement  Company  for  making 
the  best  bargain  it  could  provided  it 
went  about  it  honestly  and  did  not  seek 
to  corrupt  the  representatives  entrusted 
with  the  city's  interests.  I  for  one  would 
be  willing  to  give  corporations  even  more 
than  their  just  due  if  only  they  can  be 
made  to  stop  all  attempts  to  corrupt  pub- 
lic officials.  On  February  12,  1912,  in 
discussing  Colonel  Roosevelt's  candidacy 
he  said :  "Unless  the  Republican  party 
nominates  a  man  in  sympathy  with  the 
aspirations  of  the  people  we  may  expect 
a  democratic  administration,  with  radical 
legislation  which  will  be  of  no  benefit  to 
the  country." 

A  lifelong  Republican  of  national  repu- 
tation and  a  leader  in  the  reform  fight 
for  many  years,  it  was  with  regret  that 
he  saw  President  Taft  renominated,  be- 
lieving that  he  was  not  a  "man  in  sym- 
pathy with  the  aspirations  of  the  people." 
In  declaring  for  the  Progressive  candi- 
date he  said:  "President  Taft  has  allowed 
himself  to  be  bamboozled  by  men  like 
Payne,  Aldrich,  and  Cannon,  with  the 
result  that  we  had  imposed  upon  us  the 
wretched  Payne-Aldrich  measure,  which 
is  a  disgrace  and  a  rank  injustice  to  the 
Republican  party.  President  Taft  missed 
his  great  opportunity  to  insist  upon  a 
proper  revision  and  permitted,  then  com- 
mended the  iniquitous  Payne-Aldrich  bill. 
I  prefer  to  have  the  needed  tarifif  revision 
in  the  hands  of  those  who  do  not  think 
it  wrong  and  unconstitutional  to  protect 
wages  and  legitimate  business  by  a  pro- 
tective tariflf."  He  personally  directed  the 
fight  of  the  City  Party  in  1905  as  chair- 


man of  the  Committee  of  Seventy, 
arranging  his  private  business  so  that  he 
might  give  his  entire  time  to  the  cam- 
paign.  In  1906  he  was  prominently  men- 
tioned for  the  office  of  Governor  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  has  since  -been  equally 
active  in  all  reform  movements  and  has 
many  victories  to  his  credit.  Although 
his  large  business  interests  keep  him  fully 
employed,  he  gives  a  great  deal  of  time 
to  the  study  of  municipal  problems,  and 
in  all  Philadelphia  there  is  no  more  de- 
voted, unselfish,  patriotic  citizen  than 
John  C.  Winston.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Historical  Society  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
finds  social  enjoyment  in  various  clubs, 
including  the  University,  City,  Man- 
heim  Cricket,  and  Huntingdon  Valley 
Country.  In  1915  he  was  elected  presi- 
dent of  the  Science  and  Art  Club  of  Ger- 
mantown,  where  he  resides.  His  business 
office  is  at  No.  loio  Arch  street. 

Mr.  Winston  married,  July  19,  1883, 
Samuella  Terrell  Hicks,  of  Richmond, 
Virginia.     He  has  no  children. 


WAKEFIELD,  James  Alfred, 

Liaivyer,  Insurance  Expert. 

James  Alfred  Wakefield  is  one  of  the 
lawyers  now  practicing  at  the  Pittsburgh 
bar  who  can  look  back  upon  twenty-five 
years  of  successful  and  honorable  en- 
deavor. Mr.  Wakefield  has  been  active 
in  the  political  life  of  his  city  and  State, 
and  enjoys  a  high  degree  of  popularity 
both  as  a  lawyer  and  a  citizen. 

The  Wakefield  family  is  of  ancient 
English  origin,  tracing  lineal  descent 
from  Gilbert  Wakefield,  the  author  of  a 
version  of  the  Bible  -^yhich  is  now  num- 
bered among  the  treasures  of  the  British 
Museum.  The  original  Tower — the 
Round  Tower — of  London,  in  which  the 
crown  jewels  are  kept,  was  named  when 
built  and  is  still  known  as  the  Wakefield 
862 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Tower.  The  branch  of  the  family  to 
which  the  Pennsylvania  Wakefields  be- 
long is  understood  to  have  migrated  from 
Yorkshire,  England,  to  County  Antrim, 
Ireland. 

Thomas  Wakefield  was  born  October  2, 
1757,  in  Ireland,  and  emigrated  to  the 
United  States,  presumably  during  the 
Revolutionary  War.  He  married,  Sep- 
tember 25,  1779,  Elizabeth,  born  March 
5,  1760,  daughter  of  Samuel  Morton,  a 
brother  of  John  Morton,  who  was  one 
of  the  Signers  of  the  Declaration  of  In- 
dependence. Thomas  Wakefield  served 
during  the  Revolution  as  a  private  in 
Captain  Noah  Abraham's  company,  Cum- 
berland county  militia.  This  was  in  1780, 
and  shows  that  he  was  at  that  time  a 
resident  of  Pennsylvania.  The  death  of 
Thomas  Wakefield  occurred  November 
20,  1844,  in  Indiana  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  his  widow  survived  him  but 
six  months,  passing  away  May  9,  1845. 

(II)  Samuel,  son  of  Thomas  and  Eliz- 
abeth (Morton)  Wakefield,  was  born 
March  6,  1799,  and  was  a  minister  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church.  He  was 
the  author  of  "Wakefield's  Theology" 
and  of  many  other  works,  religious, 
musical  and  literary.  He  also  construct- 
ed the  first  pipe-organ  west  of  the  Alle- 
ghenies,  preached  the  gospel  for  seventy- 
five  years,  and  at  the  time  of  his  death 
was  the  oldest  living  Free  Mason.  Dr. 
Wakefield  married,  August  21,  1821, 
Elizabeth  Hough,  born  August  22,  1803. 
Mrs.  Wakefield  died  September  29,  1894, 
and  her  husband  did  not  long  survive  the 
faithful  companion  of  more  than  seventy 
years,  dying  September  13,  1895,  ^t  the 
venerable  age  of  ninety-six. 

(III)  David  H.,  son  of  Samuel  and 
Elizabeth  (Hough)  Wakefield,  was  born 
August  16,  1822,  and  led  the  life  of  a 
country  gentleman.  He  was  noted  for 
introducing  many  new  fruits  into  West- 
ern  Pennsylvania,  and  his  conservatory 


of  flowers  was  greatly  admired  by  all 
who  were  privileged  to  behold  it.  Mr, 
Wakefield  married,  July  31,  1844,  Mary 
Covert.  whose  ancestral  record  is 
appended  to  this  biography,  and  they 
were  the  parents  of  seven  children  among 
whom  James  Alfred  is  mentioned  below. 
Mr.  Wakefield  died  April  4,  1900,  and  his 
widow  passed  away  December  11,  1902. 

(IV)  James  Alfred,  son  of  David  H. 
and  Mary  (Covert)  Wakefield,  was  born 
May  3,  1865,  in  Redstone,  Fayette 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  received  his 
elementary  education  in  local  public 
schools,  afterward  attending  Allegheny 
College  at  Meadville,  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  took  several  oratorical  prizes 
and  successfully  represented  his  college 
in  the  Intercollegiate  Chautauquan  Ora- 
torical Contest.  In  1889  Mr.  Wakefield 
graduated  and  immediately  thereafter 
began  the  study  of  law  in  the  office  of  the 
Hon.  C.  E.  Boyle,  of  Uniontown,  Penn- 
sylvania, completing  his  course  in  Pitts- 
burgh under  the  instruction  of  George 
W.  Acklin.  In  1890  he  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  and  is  now  a  member  of  the 
Superior  and  Supreme  Courts  of  Penn- 
sylvania, also  of  the  United  States  Dis- 
trict and  Circuit  Courts  and  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  United  States.  After  enter- 
ing into  practice,  Mr.  Wakefield  rose 
steadily  into  prominence,  proving  that  he 
possessed  the  essential  qualities  of  a  truly 
successful  lawyer  and  winning  the  con- 
fidence of  the  profession  and  the  public. 
He  has  been  connected  with  many  im- 
portant cases  and  has  devoted  special 
attention  to  complicated  insurance  litiga- 
tion, achieving  some  of  his  greatest  suc- 
cesses in  this  department. 

In  politics  Mr.  Wakefield  is  an  ardent 
Democrat,  but  has  never  allowed  the 
attention  he  gave  to  public  affairs  to  in- 
terfere with  his  legal  practice.  In  1910, 
in  compliance  with  urgent  entreaties,  he 
allowed  his  name  to  appear  as  the  candi- 


1863 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


date  of  his  party  for  Congressman  from 
the  Twenty-second  District  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, opposing  John  Dalzell,  who  was 
nominated  by  the  Republicans.  Mr. 
Wakefield  was  defeated,  but  made  a 
highly  creditable  canvass  against  great 
odds,  receiving  the  full  party  vote  and 
adding  to  his  already  great  popularity  in 
his  district. 

Among  the  organizations  in  which  Mr. 
Wakefield  is  enrolled  are  the  Sons  of  the 
Revolution,  the  Historical  Society  of 
Western  Pennsylvania  and  the  National 
Democratic  Club,  also  the  Pittsburgh 
Athletic  Association,  the  Church  Club  of 
Pittsburgh  and  the  New  York  Club.  He 
retains  his  membership  in  the  Delta  Tau 
Delta  fraternity  and  is  a  past  master  of 
Hailman  Lodge,  No.  321,  Free  and  Ac- 
cepted Masons.  He  is  the  local  represen- 
tative of  the  Pocahontas  Memorial  So- 
ciety. 

Mr.  Wakefield  married,  in  1890,  Annie, 
daughter  of  Washington  Lowry,  of  Pitts- 
burg, formerly  of  Philadelphia.  The 
Lowry  family  was  originally  from  France. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wakefield  were  the  parents 
of  one  daughter :  Dorothy  Randolph,  who 
was  educated  in  schools  of  Paris,  Berlin 
and  Florence,  and  is  now  studying  the 
piano  abroad.  While  in  Paris  Miss 
Wakefield  was  the  winner  of  a  fencing 
medal. 

James  Alfred  Wakefield  will  leave  a 
record  worthy  of  his  race  and  name  to  be 
incorporated  in  the  legal  annals  of  his 
county  and  State. 

(The   Randolph  Line). 

The  Randolph  family  is  of  Virginia 
and  traces  descent  from  Pocahontas.  At 
some  time  in  the  eighteenth  century  a 
branch  was  transplanted  to  Pennsylvania. 

Thomas  Randolph,  great-grandfather  of 
Mrs.  Mary  (Covert)  Wakefield,  was  a 
son  of  Brett  Randolph  and  a  grandson 
of      Richard      Randolph,      of     Virginia. 


Thomas  Randolph  was  of  Redstone  town- 
ship, Fayette  county,  Pennsylvania,  and 
made  his  will  July  21,  1801.  It  was  re- 
corded July  27,  of  the  same  year.  His 
wife  Abigail  and  his  eldest  son  Richard 
were  named  as  executors.  He  was  sur- 
vived also  by  three  other  sons — Stephen, 
Thomas  and  Edward,  and  by  one  daugh- 
ter, who  was  married  to  Robert  Richard- 
son. It  is  recorded  that  Thomas  Ran- 
dolph received  depreciation  pay  for  ser- 
vices rendered  in  the  War  of  the  Revo- 
lution. 

(II)  Richard,  son  of  Thomas  and 
Abigail  Randolph,  was  born  in  1773, 
married  and  left  descendants. 

(III)  Abigail,  daughter  of  Richard 
Randolph,  was  born  in  1801,  and  in  1820 
was  married  to  Benjamin  Covert  (see 
Covert  line).    Mrs.  Covert  died  in  1865. 

(The  Covert  Line). 

Benjamin  Covert,  presumably  of  Penn- 
sylvania, married  Abigail  Randolph  (see 
Randolph  line),  and  died  in  June,  1888. 

(II)  Mary,  daughter  of  Benjamin  and 
Abigail  (Randolph)  Covert,  was  born 
August  8,  1823,  and  became  the  wife  of 
David  H.  Wakefield,  as  stated  above ; 
died  December  11,  1902. 


BAIRD,  Thomas  Harlan, 

Jjavryer,  Jurist,  Liitterateur. 

Hon.  Thomas  Harlan  Baird  was  born 
in  Washington,  Pennsylvania,  November 
15,  1787.  Of  his  grandfather.  Lieutenant 
John  Baird,  an  officer  in  the  Colonial 
army,  we  find,  on  referring  to  the  Penn- 
sylvania Archives,  Second  Series,  volume 
II.,  page  479  and  following,  mention  of 
the  second  battalion  of  one  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania regiments.  Colonel  James  Burd, 
commandant.  This  battalion  joined  the 
British  army  at  Carlisle;  marched  with 
it  to  Fort  DuOuesne ;  was  present  at 
Grant's  defeat  and  at  the  capture  of  the 
864 


Hon.  Thomas  Harlan  Baird 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


fort.  On  page  481  will  be  found  the  name 
of  John  Baird  as  ensign  (second  lieuten- 
ant) in  Captain  Work's  company  of  this 
second  battalion,  the  date  of  his  commis- 
sion being  March  13,  1758.  On  page  520, 
in  the  list  of  officers  of  the  Pennsylvania 
regiment  for  1760,  will  be  found  the  name 
of  Lieutenant  John  Baird,  with  April  13, 
1758,  as  the  date  of  his  commission,  he 
having  been  promoted  subsequent  to  the 
capture  of  Fort  DuQuesne.  On  page  523 
Lieutenant  John  Baird  is  reported  dead. 
Lieutenant  John  Baird  married,  in  1756, 
Catharine  McClean.  and  when  he  joined 
the  Pennsylvania  regiment  he  resided  at 
Kennett  Square,  in  Chester  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, where  he  left  his  wife  and  their 
only  child,  Absalom,  then  aged  about 
three  years.  Lieutenant  John  Baird  died, 
as  stated,  in  1760,  while  in  military  ser- 
vice. Catharine,  his  wife,  died  at  Wash- 
ington, Pennsylvania.  November  28, 
1802. 

Dr.  Absalom  Baird,  son  of  Lieutenant 
John  and  Catharine  (McClean)  Baird, 
was  born  in  Philadelphia ;  was  a  surgeon 
in  the  Continental  army  during  the  Revo- 
lution, enjoying  the  intimate  friendship 
of  many  of  its  most  distinguished  officers  ; 
afterwards  practiced  his  profession  for 
some  years  at  Kennett  Square,  Pennsyl- 
vania. He  married,  July  14,  1783,  at 
Wilmington,  Delaware,  Susanna  Harlan 
Brown.  He  subsequently  removed  to 
Washington,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  at- 
tained the  distinction  of  being  the  most 
able  physician  and  surgeon  of  his  time 
in  Western  Pennsylvania.  He  was  emi- 
nent also  for  his  classical,  scientific  and 
literary  attainments,  his  early  education 
having  been  pursued  at  the  famous  Log 
College  on  the  Neshamony,  in  Bucks 
county,  Pennsylvania.  Dr.  Absalom 
Baird's  residence  in  Washington,  Penn- 
sylvania, was  on  West  Maiden  street,  and 
it  was  here  that  the  Bourbon  Prince, 
Louis  Phillipe,  afterward  King  of  France, 


was  entertained  June  20,  1797.  This  his- 
toric old  house,  after  standing  one  hun- 
dred and  seventeen  years,  was  torn  down 
to  make  way  for  the  Government  Build- 
ing. Dr.  Absalom  Baird  died  at  Wash- 
ington, Pennsylvania,  October  27,  1805; 
his  wife's  death  occurred  at  the  same 
place,  November  16,  1802.  Children  of 
Absalom  and  Susanna  Harlan  (Brown) 
Baird:  i.  John  Baird,  born  at  Kennett 
Square,  Pennsylvania,  July  26,  1784,  died 
at  Washington,  Pennsylvania,  November, 
1836.  2.  George  Baird,  born  at  Kennett 
Square,  Pennsylvania,  October  28,  1785, 
died  at  Washington,  Pennsylvania,  No- 
vember 2,  i860.  3.  Thomas  Harlan 
Baird,  see  below.  4.  William  Baird,  born 
at  Washington,  Pennsylvania,  July  24, 
1789,  died  at  same  place  October  6,  1834. 
5.  Sarah  Baird  (Mrs.  William  Hodge), 
born  at  Washington,  Pennsylvania, 
March  11,  1793,  died  at  Maysville,  Ken- 
tucky, May  30,  1833.  6.  Susan  Baird 
(Mrs.  Campbell),  born  at  Washington, 
Pennsylvania,  October  14,  1796,  died  at 
Uniontown,  Pennsylvania,  July  9,  1824. 

At  the  time  of  Dr.  Absalom  Baird's 
death,  his  son,  Thomas  Harlan,  then 
about  eighteen  years  of  age,  was  a 
student  in  the  classical  school  of  David 
Johnston,  in  Brooke  county,  Virginia. 
The  embarrassed  condition  of  his  father's 
estate  compelled  him  to  leave  school,  and 
he  commenced  the  study  of  law  in  the 
office  of  Joseph  Pentecost,  at  Washing- 
ton, Pennsylvania,  where  he  was  admit- 
ted to  the  bar  in  March,  1808,  before  com- 
pleting his  twenty-first  year.  His  success 
in  the  rapid  attainment  of  a  large  and 
remunerative  practice  was  remarkable  at 
a  bar  which  boasted  such  practitioners 
as  James  Ross,  Henry  Baldwin,  Parker 
Campbell,  Philip  Dodridge  and  other 
eminent  lawyers  of  that  day.  In  October. 
1818,  he  was  appointed  by  Governor 
Findlay,   President  Judge   of   the   newly 


1865 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


formed  district  (the  Fourteenth)  com- 
posed of  the  counties  of  Washington, 
Fayette,  Greene  and  Somerset — the  last 
was  taken  ofif  in  1824,  to  form  part  of  the 
Sixteenth  District.  In  December,  1837, 
he  resigned  his  seat  on  the  bench,  which 
he  had  filled  with  great  honor  and  rare 
ability  for  more  than  nineteen  years.  Upon 
resigning  his  judgeship  he  removed  to 
Pittsburgh  and  resumed  the  practice  of 
the  law,  being  admitted  to  the  bar  of  that 
city  January  2,  1838.  After  ten  years 
or  more  of  continuous  professional  labors 
he  withdrew  from  active  life  to  the  retire- 
ment of  his  farm,  near  Monongahela 
City,  Washington  county,  Pennsylvania. 
He  did  not,  however,  lose  his  interest  in 
public  afifairs,  and  was  a  frequent  con- 
tributor to  the  newspapers  upon  the 
topics  that  were  from  time  to  time 
agitating  the  public  mind.  In  1854  he 
was  the  candidate  of  the  Native  Ameri- 
can party  for  Judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  Judge  Black,  the  Democratic  nom- 
inee, being  his  successful  competitor. 

As  a  profound,  discriminating,  acute 
and  ready  lawyer.  Judge  Baird  had  few 
equals  in  the  State,  and  probably  no 
superior.  His  opinions  when  on  the 
bench  always  commanded  the  high  re- 
spect of  the  Supreme  Court,  and  the  re- 
versal of  any  of  his  decisions  was  ex- 
tremely rare.  In  his  judicial  career  per- 
haps the  most  prominent  event  was  his 
striking  from  the  roll  of  the  Fayette 
county  bar,  in  1835,  a  majority  of  the  at- 
torneys. This  led  to  his  impeachment 
before  the  Legislature,  by  which  tribunal 
he  was,  upon  trial,  honorably  acquitted. 
The  case  will  be  found  in  the  fifth  volume 
of  "Rawle's  Reports,"  and  the  whole  cor- 
respondence and  proceedings  are  detailed 
in  "Hazard's  Register  of  Pennsylvania," 
volume  XV.,  pp.  113,  245.  While  practic- 
ing as  an  attorney,  it  seemed  impossible 
for  the  most  acute  practitioner  to  catch 
him  unawares.     So  thorough  and  exten- 


sive had  been  his  reading,  so  retentive 
was  his  memory  and  so  quick  was  his 
reasoning  faculty,  that  his  conclusions 
appeared  to  come  like  intuitions  and  were 
almost  invariably  correct.  Among  the 
most  able  and  searching  productions  of  the 
presidential  campaign  of  1827-28  was  a 
pamphlet  address  from  a  county  meeting 
to  the  people  of  Washington  county, 
against  Jackson,  written  by  him.  An 
argument  from  his  pen  against  "Sabbath 
Mails  and  Sabbath  Desecrations  in 
General"  was  published  in  pamphlet  form 
and  widely  circulated.  His  charges  to 
the  grand  jury  were  frequently  published. 
His  series  of  papers  on  the  slavery  ques- 
tion over  the  signature  of  "Alethes,"  in 
the  Pittsburgh  "Commercial  Journal,"  in 
185 1,  attracted  much  attention  on  account 
of  their  marked  ability.  As  a  friend  of 
internal  improvements  and  commercial 
enterprise  he  was  among  the  foremost 
men  of  his  time,  if  not  occasionally  in 
advance  of  his  time.  As  one  of  the 
original  suggesters  and  active  promoters 
of  the  National  Road,  of  the  Mononga- 
hela navigation  improvement,  of  the 
method  of  coal  transportation  by  tow- 
boats  and  barges,  of  the  construction  of 
the  Chartiers'  Valley  railroad — the  first 
survey  for  which  was  made  largely,  if 
not  entirely,  at  his  expense — as  president 
of  a  bank  and  builder  of  a  mill  in  his 
native  town,  and  in  numerous  other  ways, 
he  gave  constant  evidence  of  his  active 
and  enlightened  public  spirit. 

Though  deprived  of  the  advantages  of 
a  thorough  academical  course  of  instruc- 
tion in  early  life,  Judge  Baird's  thirst  for 
knowledge  and  his  facility  in  its  acquisi- 
tion soon  carried  him  far  in  advance  of 
the  great  majority  of  those  who  have 
completed  the  ordinary  college  curricu- 
lum. His  attainments  in  classical  learn- 
ing were  of  a  high  order;  philological 
studies  were  to  him  a  virtual  recreation ; 
and  the  reading-  of  the  Scriptures  in  the 
866 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


original  tongues  was  with  him  a  lifelong 
habit  and  one  of  his  greatest  enjoyments. 
One  of  the  occupations  of  his  later  years 
was  rendering  the  Psalms  of  David  from 
the  original  Hebrew  into  a  metrical  Eng- 
lish version,  and  he  advanced  as  far  as 
the  Forty-second  Psalm.  In  history  and 
general  literature  his  reading  was  un- 
usually extensive ;  his  power  of  memory 
was  remarkable,  and  his  taste  highly  cul- 
tivated. In  person  he  was  tall,  slender 
and  slightly  stooped — always  appearing 
to  be  in  a  deep  study,  with  his  eyes  fixed 
on  the  ground.  On  this  account,  when 
walking  on  the  street,  he  seemed  to  be 
unsocial.  But  on  meeting  friends  and 
acquaintances  he  was  free,  easy  and  com- 
municative, possessing  a  fund  of  informa- 
tion which  he  freely  imparted  to  others. 
His  friends  were  glad  to  visit  him  and 
enjoy  his  conversation,  because  of  his 
tine  literary  tastes  and  his  large  attain- 
ments in  every  branch  of  knowledge. 
His  sense  of  right  and  wrong  was  very 
acute,  and  as  a  judge  his  sole  object  was 
the  administration  of  justice.  He  was 
somewhat  impulsive  and  irascible,  which 
betrayed  him  sometimes  into  speaking 
unadvisedly.  But  when  on  reflection  he 
saw  his  error,  no  man  was  more  ready  to 
make  amends.  Being  conscious  of  up- 
rightness in  all  his  conduct,  he  never 
shunned — nay,  even  courted — the  most 
rigid  scrutiny.  His  bitterest  enemies  at 
the  bar  accorded  to  him  integrity  and 
honesty  of  purpose  and  an  anxious  desire 
to  do  right.  He  possessed  a  remarkably 
kind  disposition  and  was  liberal  even  to  a 
fault.  His  latest  professional  act  was  the 
prosecution  before  the  Court  of  Claims 
at  Washington,  D.  C,  of  a  claim  for  com- 
pensation for  the  services  rendered  by 
his  father,  Dr.  Baird,  during  the  Revolu- 
tionary War.  For  the  manner  in  which 
he  conducted  this  case,  and  for  his  lucid 
and  forcible  argument,  he  was  highly 
complimented  at  the  time  by  many  of  the 

PEN-Vol  VI-3  I 


distinguished  lawyers  then  in  Washing- 
ton. A  decision  in  his  favor  was  rendered 
by  the  court,  and  he  was  immediately 
and  urgently  solicited  by  a  number  of 
similar  claimants  to  conduct  their  cases 
for  them,  but  his  impaired  health  com- 
pelled him  to  decline.  He  was  endowed 
by  nature  with  rare  intellectual  gifts,  and 
distinguished  for  his  profound  legal  at- 
tainments, his  diversified  and  highly 
cultivated  literary  taste,  his  kindness  of 
heart  and  his  spotless  integrity. 

Judge  Thomas  H.  Baird  died  at  the 
residence  of  his  son-in-law,  Charles  Mc- 
Knight  (whose  biography  and  portrait 
appear  elsewhere  in  this  work),  in  Alle- 
gheny City  (now  Northside,  Pittsburgh), 
November  22,  1866,  having  completed  his 
seventy-ninth  year  seven  days  before.  His 
remains  were  interred  in  the  cemetery  at 
Washington,  Pennsylvania. 

Judge  Thomas  Harlan  Baird  married 
Nancy  Acheson  McCuUough,  and  they 
became  the  parents  of  thirteen  children, 
among  them  being:  Eleanor,  who  mar- 
ried Dr.  R.  R.  Reed,  Washington,  Penn- 
sylvania ;  Sarah,  married  George  Morgan, 
Washington,  Pennsylvania;  Susan,  died 
in  young  womanhood ;  Mary,  married 
Joseph  Patterson,  of  Pittsburgh ;  Eliza, 
married  Robert  Patterson,  Pittsburgh ; 
Thomas  H.  Jr.,  married  Louise  King,  of 
Monongahela  City,  Pennsylvania ;  Har- 
riet ;  Emily ;  Margaret  Wilson ;  Jeanne, 
married  Charles  McKnight,  of  Pitts- 
burgh. 


CHANDLER,  Amasa  Franklin,  M.  D., 

Physician,  Enterprising  Citizen. 

Twenty  years  of  successful  medical 
practice  crowned  by  a  brief  but  success- 
ful business  career,  is  a  combination  rare- 
ly met  with,  but  the  life  of  the  late  Dr. 
Amasa  Franklin  Chandler  furnishes  a 
striking  instance  of  it.  As  a  physician, 
Dr.  Chandler  resided  in  Akron,  Ohio,  but 
867 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


on  turning  his  attention  to  business  he 
removed  to  Pennsylvania,  where  he  was 
chiefly  known  and  is  best  remembered  as 
the  organizer,  secretary  and  general 
manager  of  the  Charleroi  Plate  Glass 
Company,  and  the  founder  of  Charleroi, 
Pennsylvania. 

William  Chandler,  founder  of  the 
American  branch  of  the  family,  settled, 
in  1637,  in  Roxbury,  Massachusetts, 
where  he  became  a  landed  proprietor. 
He  brought  with  him  from  England  his 
wife  Annis,  and  four  children  :  Thomas  ; 
Hannah ;  John,  mentioned  below ;  and 
William.  The  fifth  child,  Sarah,  was 
born  in  Roxbury,  and  it  was  there  that 
Mr.  Chandler  died,  November  26,  1641. 

(II)  John,  son  of  William  and  Annis 
Chandler,  was  one  of  the  six  who  bought 
of  Captain  James  Fitch,  of  Norwich,  Con- 
necticut, "The  Mashamoquet  Purchase," 
of  fifteen  hundred  acres  for  the  consider- 
ation of  thirty  pounds.  John  Chandler 
was  one  of  the  deacons  of  the  church  in 
Woodstock.  He  married  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  William  and  Anna  (Mattle) 
Douglas,  and  among  their  eight  children 
was  John,  mentioned  below.  John 
Chandler  died  April  15,  1703,  and  is 
interred  in  the  burying-ground  of  Wood- 
stock. 

(III)  John  (2),  son  of  John  (i)  and 
Elizabeth  (Douglas)  Chandler,  was  born 
April  16,  1655,  and  in  1690  was  one  of  the 
first  selectmen  of  Woodstock.  He  also 
held  the  ofifice  of  town  surveyor,  and  dur- 
ing the  Indian  disturbances  rose  to  the 
rank  of  colonel  in  the  colonial  forces. 
For  nearly  forty  years  he  served  as  a  com- 
missioner of  the  peace,  and  for  seven  years 
was  a  member  of  his  majesty's  council. 
Colonel  Chandler  married  (first)  Novem- 
ber 10,  1692,  Mary,  daughter  of  Deacon 
Joshua  and  Elizabeth  (Smith)  Raymond, 
and  they  were  the  parents  of  ten  chil- 
dren, one  of  whom  was  Thomas,  men- 
tioned below.     The  Raymonds  were   of 


New  London,  Connecticut.  Colonel 
Chandler  married  (second)  November  14, 
171 1,  Esther  Britman,  widow  of  Pals- 
grave Alcock.  The  death  of  Colonel 
Chandler  occurred  August  10,  1743. 

(IV)  Thomas,  son  of  John  (2)  and 
Mary  (Raymond)  Chandler,  was  born 
July  23,  1709,  in  Woodstock,  Connecti- 
cut, and  was  known  as  "Judge."  He  was 
extremely  public-spirited,  aiding  in  all 
that  made  for  the  advancement  of  his 
community.  Judge  Chandler  married, 
November  23,  1732,  Elizabeth,  born  May 
14,  1712,  daughter  of  Judge  John  and 
Mary  (Wolcott)  Elliott,  of  Windsor, 
Connecticut,  and  of  their  five  children 
Thomas  is  mentioned  below.  Judge 
Chandler  died  June  20,  1785,  and  his 
widow  passed  away  December  22,  1794. 

(V)  Thomas  (2),  son  of  Thomas  (i) 
and  Elizabeth  (Elliott)  Chandler,  was 
born  September  23,  1740,  and  held  the  fol- 
lowing offices :  Secretary  of  the  State  of 
Vermont ;  speaker  of  the  House  of  Repre- 
sentatives ;  member  of  Council;  justice  of 
the  first  Superior  Court ;  and  Commis- 
sioner of  Sequestration  of  Tory  Estates. 
He  married,  July  21,  1763,  Sarah,  daugh- 
ter of  Joseph  and  Mary  (Wait)  Lord,  of 
Chester,  Vermont,  and  among  their  seven 
children  was  Thomas  Lord,  mentioned 
below. 

(VI)  Thomas  Lord,  son  of  Thomas 
(2)  and  Sarah  (Lord)  Chandler,  was 
born  August  24,  1768,  and  studied 
law  with  his  father  and  brother-in-law, 
Ezekiel  Colburn,  but  did  not  practice. 
He  married,  September  14,  1794,  Asenath, 
born  June  13,  1774,  in  New  Ipswich,  New 
Hampshire,  daughter  of  Levi  Adams  and 
his  wife,  whose  maiden  name  was  Perry. 
Levi  Adams  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolu- 
tion. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chandler  were  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  of  whom  Levi 
Lord  is  mentioned  below.  The  death  of 
Mr.  Chandler  occurred  October  25,  1810, 
and  his  wife  died  in  the  fiftieth  year  of 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


her  widowhood,  passing  away  on   April 
ID,  i860. 

(VII)  Levi  Lord,  son  of  Thomas 
Lord  and  Asenath  (Adams)  Chandler, 
was  born  November  i,  1810,  and  followed 
the  calling  of  a  farmer.  In  March,  1868, 
he  removed  to  Pecatonica,  Illinois,  where 
he  owned  another  farm  which  he  made 
his  home  for  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
He  married  Nancy,  daughter  of  Jonathan 
and  Persis  (Gay)  Grundy,  originally  of 
Norfolk,  New  York.  Of  the  seven  chil- 
dren born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chandler, 
Amasa  Franklin  is  mentioned  below. 

(VIII)  Amasa  Franklin,  son  of  Levi 
Lord  and  Nancy  (Grundy)  Chandler, 
was  born  January  24,  1844,  in  Lawrence 
county,  New  York,  and  received  his  edu- 
cation in  local  schools.  Ere  he  attained 
his  majority  the  current  of  his  life  was 
diverted  by  the  Civil  War  into  military 
channels.  In  1864  he  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany B,  146th  Regiment  Illinois  Infantry, 
and  served  to  the  close  of  the  conflict, 
receiving  in  July,  1865,  an  honorable  dis- 
charge. 

On  his  return  home,  Mr.  Chandler  ma- 
triculated in  the  medical  department  of 
the  University  of  Chicago,  completing  his 
studies  at  the  University  of  Stuttgart, 
Germany,  and  returned  to  his  native  land 
fully  equipped  for  the  practice  of  his 
profession.  Opening  an  offtce  in  Akron, 
Ohio,  he  devoted  himself  for  many  years 
to  the  active  and  faithful  discharge  of  the 
obligations  and  responsibilities  of  a  prac- 
titioner of  general  medicine  and  surgery, 
his  labors  being  attended  by  success  and 
recognition. 

In  Dr.  Chandler's  nature,  however, 
professional  ability  was  combined  with 
the  essential  qualities  of  a  man  of  afifairs, 
and  these  qualities,  in  the  course  of  time, 
demanded  a  field  for  their  exercise.  In 
1888  he  abandoned  the  practice  of  his 
profession,  becoming  secretary  and  treas- 
urer of  the  Standard   Plate  Glass  Com- 


pany of  Cutler,  Pennsylvania.  'i"he  fol- 
lowing year  his  business  talent  found 
still  fuller  scope  in  the  organization  of 
the  Charleroi  Plate  Glass  Company,  of 
which  during  the  remainder  of  his  life  he 
was  secretary  and  general  manager.  He 
was  also  one  of  the  founders  of  Charleroi, 
Pennsylvania,  and  a  director  of  the  Char- 
leroi Land  Company. 

The  political  principles  advocated  by 
the  Republican  party  always  received  the 
aid  of  Dr.  Chandler's  vote  and  influence. 
During  his  professional  career  he  was  for 
a  time  assistant  surgeon  in  the  Roman 
Catholic  Hospital  in  Chicago.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church.  The  countenance  and  manner  of 
Dr.  Chandler  were  indicative  of  the  union 
of  the  reflective  and  executive  faculties 
by  which  he  was  distinguished,  marking 
him  as  both  the  student  and  the  man  of 
action. 

Dr.  Chandler  married,  September  11, 
1877,  Ida  H.  Hartupee,  whose  family 
record  is  appended  to  this  biography,  and 
their  children  were :  Andrew  Hartupee, 
superintendent  of  Works  No.  5  of  the 
Pittsburgh  Plate  Glass  Company  at  Ford 
City,  Pennsylvania,  married  Lucile, 
daughter  of  R.  R.  Brown,  of  Pittsburgh, 
and  they  have  three  children — Dorothy 
Phipps,  Caroline  Augusta,  and  William 
Hartupee ;  Lee  Lord,  whose  biography 
appears  in  this  work ;  Sellers  McKee, 
whose  biography  may  also  be  found  on 
another  page ;  Clarence  Amasa,  of  Cleve- 
land, Ohio,  local  manager  of  the  Toledo 
Plate  and  Window  Glass  Company,  has 
one  son,  Clarence  Amasa.  Mrs.  Chandler. 
in  her  widowhood,  is  blessed  with  the 
devotion  of  her  children  and  the  warm 
attachment  of  her  many  friends. 

In  the  prime  of  life  and  in  the  fullness 
of  prosperity  Dr.  Chandler  passed  away, 
breathing  his  last  on  December  17,  1890, 
at  Charleroi,  Pennsylvania.  A  quarter  of 
a  century  has  passed  since  then,  but  his 
869 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


work  still  bears  abundant  fruit.  Dr. 
Chandler  was  a  resident  of  two  States, 
and  in  both  proved  his  value  to  the  com- 
monwealth. He  helped  to  sustain  the 
prestige  of  the  medical  profession  of 
Ohio  and  was  largely  instrumental  in  the 
development  of  one  of  Pennsylvania's 
most  important  industries. 

(The  Hartupee  Line). 

(I)  Aaron  Hartupee,  grandfather  of 
Mrs.  Ida  H.  (Hartupee)  Chandler,  was  a 
citizen  of  Pennsylvania. 

(II)  Andrew,  son  of  Aaron  Hartupee, 
was  born  February  29,  1820.  He  was  a 
prominent  man  in  his  day,  actively  iden- 
tified with  the  affairs  of  Pittsburgh,  and 
was  one  of  the  pioneers  in  the  engine  and 
iron  industries  of  Pennsylvania.  In  1S63  he 
completed  and  patented  the  compound 
engine  which  revolutionized  the  business 
of  heavy  engine  building  all  over  the 
world,  and  made  him  one  of  the  ablest 
inventors  of  his  time.  He  was  also  the 
builder  of  the  Brilliant  Water  Works  on 
the  Allegheny  river  for  the  city  of  Pitts- 
burgh, having  designed  and  installed  the 
enormous  pumping  engines  which  are  still 
operating  there  today.  At  the  time  of  the 
Civil  War,  Andrew  Hartupee  contracted 
with  the  United  States  government  to 
furnish  a  great  number  of  the  engines, 
installed  on  the  Mississippi  gunboats.  He 
lost  millions  of  dollars  through  the  defec- 
tive wording  of  one  of  his  patents,  but 
nevertheless  made  a  fortune  from  his 
inventions.  He  married  Louise  David, 
born  March  11,  1828,  daughter  of  Henry 
Cook,  and  their  children  were  :  Jeannette 
E.,  wife  of  H.  Sellers  McKee,  of  New 
York  and  Paris ;  Ida  H.,  mentioned  be- 
low; Florence,  married  William  B. 
Burke,  of  Rochester,  New  York,  and  is 
now  deceased ;  and  William  D.,  of  Pitts- 
burgh, formerly  president  of  the  Pitts- 
burgh Plate  Glass  Company,  and  presi- 
dent  of  the   Pittsburgh   Valve   and   Fit- 


tings Company,  now  deceased.  Andrew 
Hartupee  died  September  16,  1891,  in 
Charleroi,  Pennsylvania. 

(Ill)  Ida  H.,  daughter  of  Andrew  and 
Louise  David  (Cook)  Hartupee,  became 
the  wife  of  Dr.  Amasa  Franklin  Chandler, 
as  stated  above. 


CHANDLER,  Lee  Lord, 

Corporation  0£S.cial. 

Lee  Lord  Chandler  was  born  October 
29,  1879,  in  Akron,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son  of 
Dr.  Amasa  Franklin  and  Ida  H.  (Hart- 
upee) Chandler.  A  biography  of  Dr. 
Chandler,  with  full  ancestral  record, 
appears  on  a  preceding  page  in  this  work. 

Lee  Lord  Chandler  received  his  earliest 
education  in  local  schools,  afterward 
attending  the  West  Jersey  Academy,  of 
Bridgeton,  New  Jersey,  and  then  enter- 
ing the  Case  School  of  Applied  Science, 
of  Cleveland.  From  this  institution  he 
graduated  in  1900  with  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Science  as  mechanical  engi- 
neer. Entering  the  service  of  the  Pitts- 
burgh Plate  Glass  Company,  Mr.  Chand- 
ler steadily  advanced,  and  now  holds  the 
position  of  efficiency  engineer.  Since 
1910  he  has  been  treasurer  and  director 
of  the  Chandler-Boyd  Supply  Company, 
and  he  also  fills  the  office  of  president  of 
the  Charleroi  Land  Company.  To  the 
duties  and  obligations  of  each  of  these 
positions  he  gives  full  attention. 

The  political  principles  of  Mr.  Chandler 
are  those  advocated  by  all  steadfast  Re- 
publicans, but  he  takes  no  active  part 
in  the  aflfairs  of  the  organization.  He 
affiliates  with  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
having  reached  the  Knight  Templar  de- 
grees, and  belongs  to  the  Oakmont  Coun- 
try Club,  the  Pittsburgh  Athletic  Associ- 
ation, and  the  Missouri  Athletic  Associ- 
ation of  St.  Louis,  Missouri.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

Mr.    Chandler    married,    October    26^ 

870 


^Oa-.^-.!-^*. 


^,y 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


191 1,  Maud  M..  daughter  of  Judge  Ed- 
ward F.  and  Ann  (Gibbons)  Crawford, 
of  Washington,  District  of  Columbia. 
Mrs.  Crawford  is  a  niece  of  Archbishop 
Gibbons,  of  North  Dakota,  and  of  the 
same  family  as  Cardinal  Gibbons,  of 
Baltimore.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chandler  are 
the  parents  of  one  son :  Edward  Craw- 
ford, born  July  17,  1912. 


CHANDLER,  Sellers  McKee. 

Corporation  Official. 

Sellers  McKee  Chandler  was  born 
June  6,  1881,  in  Akron,  Ohio,  and  is  a  son 
of  Dr.  Amasa  Franklin  and  Ida  H. 
(Hartupee)  Chandler.  A  biography  of 
Dr.  Chandler,  who  is  now  deceased, 
appears,  with  full  ancestral  record,  on  a 
preceding  page  of  this  work. 

Sellers  McKee  Chandler,  after  attend- 
ing local  schools,  became  a  pupil  at  the 
West  Jersey  Academy,  Bridgeton,  New 
Jersey,  passing  thence  to  the  Case  School 
of  Applied  Science,  of  Cleveland,  and 
graduating  in  1902,  with  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Science.  In  1905  he  received 
from  the  same  institution  the  degree  of 
Mechanical  Engineer.  In  1902  Mr. 
Chandler  obtained  the  position  of  assist- 
ant superintendent  of  the  Pittsburgh 
Valve  and  Fittings  Company  of  Barber- 
ton,  Ohio,  remaining  eight  years  and 
acquiring  the  knowledge  and  experience 
which  have  borne  fruit  in  recent  years. 
He  is  an  authority  on  certain  scientific 
lines  regarding  the  strength  of  materials, 
the  results  of  his  researches  having  been 
widely  published  in  engineering  journals 
and  are  now  in  use  in  the  text-books  of 
leading  technical  schools. 

In  1910  he  was  instrumental  in  form- 
ing the  Chandler-Boyd  Supply  Company, 
of  which  he  has  ever  since  been  presi- 
dent and  director.  The  concern  makes 
a  specialty  of  mill,  mine  and  railroad 
supplies   and    has   a   large   and   growing 


business.  Mr.  Chandler  is  also  vice- 
president  of  the  Pittsburgh  Jobbers'  Sup- 
ply Association. 

Mr.  Chandler  is  a  Republican  in 
politics.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Ameri- 
can Society  of  Mechanical  Engineers, 
Pittsburgh  Association  of  Credit  Men, 
Royal  Arch  Masons,  the  Oakmont  Coun- 
try Club,  the  Pittsburgh  Commercial 
Club  and  the  Pittsburgh  Athletic  Asso- 
ciation, also  the  Beta  Theta  Pi,  Sigma 
Xi  and  Theta  Nu  Epsilon  fraternities. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church. 

Mr.  Chandler  is  and  looks  an  heir  of 
the  traits  which  caused  his  remoter 
ancestors  to  be  distinguished  for  public 
service  and  made  his  father  a  noted  rep- 
resentative of  the  glass  industry  of  Penn- 
sylvania. 


BREED,  Henry  A., 

Civil  War  Veteran,  Model  Citizen. 

There  are  men  whose  memories  aie 
always  green  in  the  minds  of  those  who 
knew  them ;  whose  personalities  are  so 
vivid  that  the  recollection  of  them  is 
fadeless ;  men  of  whom  we  cannot  say, 
"They  are  dead,"  because  their  life  still 
throbs  in  the  hearts  that  loved  them.  To 
this  class  of  men  belonged  Henry  A. 
Breed,  for  many  years  prominent  in  busi- 
ness circles  of  Pittsburgh,  in  which  city 
he  was  born  on  August  i,  1842.  His 
parents  were  George  and  Rhoda  (Ed- 
wards) Breed,  who  belonged  to  old  New 
England  stock,  Mrs.  Breed  having  been 
a  lineal  descendant  of  the  Rev.  Jonathan 
Edwards,  the  noted  New  England  divine 
of  Colonial  times. 

(I)  The  founder  of  the  Breed  family  in 
America  was  Allen  Breed,  who  as  early 
as  1601  spelled  his  name  Bread.  Soon 
after  he  settled  in  America  the  name  was 
changed  to  Breed.  Allen  Breed  came 
with  Governor  Winthrop  to  this  countn.'. 
871 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


in  1630,  accompanied  by  his  first  wife  and 
two  sons.  Two  more  sons  were  born  in 
this  country,  at  Lynn,  Massachusetts. 

(II)  Allen  Breed,  son  of  the  founder 
of  the  American  branch  of  the  family, 
married,  and  among  his  children  was  a 
son  named  John  Breed. 

(III)  John  Breed,  son  of  Allen  Breed 
(2),  married  for  his  first  wife,  Mercy 
Palmer. 

(IV)  Gershom  Breed,  son  of  John  and 
Mercy  (Palmer)  Breed,  married  Doro- 
thy McLaren,  and  among  their  children 
was  a  son,  Shubael. 

(V)  Shubael  Breed,  son  of  Gershom 
and  Dorothy  (McLaren)  Breed,  married 
Lydia  Perkins,  by  whom  was  born 
George  Breed,  the  subject's  father. 

(VI)  George  Breed,  son  of  Shubael 
and  Lydia  (Perkins)  Breed,  was  born  at 
Norwich,  Connecticut,  March  27,  1799. 
A  biographer  gives  the  following  account 
of  George  Breed  in  a  history  of  Pitts- 
burgh : 

He  received  the  plain,  ordinary  education  of 
the  times  in  which  he  lived,  and  when  fourteen 
years  of  age  went  to  Taunton,  Massachusetts, 
where  he  entered  the  store  of  a  certain  Captain 
Ingalls  as  "boy"  and  clerk.  He  received  a 
thorough  training  in  method,  accuracy  and 
economy,  and  cultivation  of  inherited  qualities 
of  honesty  and  thrift.  In  1823  he  came  to 
Pittsburgh  and  established  himself.  In  1826  he 
gave  up  his  business  in  Pittsburgh  and  went  to 
Ravenna,  Ohio,  where  he  remained  about  two 
years,  returning  to  Pittsburgh  in  1828.  He  was 
from  this  time  engaged  in  the  dry  goods  busi- 
ness and  located  on  the  north  side  of  Market 
street,  between  the  Diamond  and  Fifth  avenue. 
On  October  8,  1833,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Rhoda  Ogden  Edwards,  a  great-granddaughter 
of  Rev.  Jonathan  Edwards,  the  eminent  divine 
and  president  of  Princeton  College.  In  1835 
Mr.  Breed  sold  his  dry  goods  business  and 
engaged  in  the  queens-ware  and  glass  business, 
being  located  on  Wood  street,  just  south  of  the 
Diamond,  and  later  at  old  No.  100,  where  he 
continued  until  his  death. 

Mr.  Breed  belonged  to  the  "heroic  age"  of 
Pittsburgh's  development  and  enterprise,  before 


even  the  day  of  palatial  canal  boating,  when  the 
stage  coach  and  Conestoga  wagon  were  the 
means  of  transit.  He  was  active  in  practical 
matters,  but  in  no  sense  a  public  man.  He  was 
modest,  his  interest  in  events  manifested  by 
quiet  and  solid  results.  He  was  deeply  inter- 
ested in  the  construction  of  the  old  Pennsyl- 
vania canal,  and  was  a  party  to  the  idea  of 
transporting  canal-boats  across  the  mountains 
in  sections  over  the  inclined  planes  of  the  old 
Portage   road. 

He  was  the  prime  mover  in  the  establishment 
of  the  Western  Pennsylvania  Hospital  after 
numerous  efforts  had  failed;  and  when  the 
charter  had  about  lapsed  he  raised  by  individual 
effort  a  subscription  which  secured  the  grant, 
called  a  meeting  of  subscribers  and  organized 
a  board.  He  was  also  one  of  the  original 
incorporators  of  the  Third  Presbyterian  Church, 
of  which  he  continued  a  member  until  his  death. 
In  politics  he  was  an  old-line  Whig  and  threw 
no  obstacle  on  the  track  of  the  "underground 
railroad"  before  the  Civil  War.  In  1842  he  was 
one  of  the  parties  who  purchased  the  ground 
and  settled  at  Oakland,  at  that  date  known  as 
the  "Third  Church  Colony."  In  stature  he  was 
a  large  man,  being  six  feet  and  four  inches 
high  and  weighed  two  hundred  and  seventy-five 
pounds,  but  perfectly  erect  and  active  in  all  his 
movements.  He  belonged  to  the  old  school  of 
merchants   and   gentlemen. 

George  and  Rhoda  Ogden  (Edwards) 
Breed  were  the  parents  of  eight  children, 
three  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  The 
others  were  as  follows:  i.  Richard  E., 
who  engaged  in  trade  in  Chicago, 
Illinois.  He  married  Mattie  Lyon,  of 
Covington,  Kentucky,  and  they  had  four 
children,  including  George,  who  married 
Clara  Meade,  daughter  of  Admiral 
Meade,  and  had  six  children :  Richard 
Edward,  Edwards,  George,  Rebecca, 
Mary  Paulding  and  Henrietta.  2.  Sarah 
M.,  who  married  Charles  H.  Zug,  Esquire, 
of  Pittsburgh.  3.  Henry  A.  (subject). 
4.  Emma  B.,  wife  of  T.  F.  Phillips,  a 
merchant  in  Philadelphia.  5.  Rev.  David 
R.  Breed,  D.  D.,  who  became  pastor  of  a 
church  in  Chicago  and  later  was  a  profes- 
sor in  the  Western  Theological  Seminary 
at  Allegheny  City.  He  married  Eliza- 
872 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


beth  Kendall,  of  Grand  Rapids,  Michigan, 
and  they  are  the  parents  of  four  children : 
Esther  K.,  Mary  E.  (who  married  Captain 
Frank  Pierpont  Siviter  of  the  regular 
army,  who  died  and  left  one  child,  Eliza- 
beth Breed  Siviter),  Maurice  Edwards,  M. 
D.,  located  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  and 
Allen  Breed. 

(VII)  Henry  Atwood  Breed  (subject), 
son  of  George  and  Rhoda  Ogden  (Ed- 
wards) Breed,  was  a  student  at  the  West- 
ern University  of  Pennsylvania  (now  the 
University  of  Pittsburgh),  and  later  be- 
came a  soldier  in  the  Civil  War.  He  was 
a  lieutenant  in  the  155th  Pennsylvania 
Volunteer  Regiment.  He  was  in  the 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  took  part  in  the 
battles  of  Antietam  and  Gettysburg,  and 
served  until  the  autumn  of  1863,  when  he 
was  discharged  on  account  of  ill  health. 
After  the  close  of  the  war  he  traveled 
extensively  in  Europe,  and  then  he 
engaged  in  the  manufacturing  business 
for  about  fifteen  years.  After  giving  this 
up  he  conducted  a  real  estate  business 
along  special  lines  for  upwards  of  twenty 
years.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic  and  of  the  Sons 
of  the  Revolution,  having  joined  the  latter 
through  his  mother's  ancestry.  He  was 
also  a  member  of  the  Military  Order  of 
the  Loyal  Legion  and  of  the  Duquesne 
Club.  He  was  an  early  member  of  the 
Shadyside  Presbyterian  Church,  of  which 
he  was  a  ruling  elder,  deacon  and  trustee, 
over  a  period  of  more  than  thirty  years. 
In  politics  he  was  an  independent  Re- 
publican. 

On  October  i,  1868,  he  married  Cor- 
nelia Bidwell,  a  native  of  Pittsburgh, 
daughter  of  John  C.  and  Sarah  S.  (Dil- 
worth)  Bidwell.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Breed 
had  three  children:  r.  Mary  Bidwell, 
born  September  15,  1870,  who  is  a  gradu- 
ate of  Bryn  Mawr,  and  who  was  dean  of 
women  at  the  University  of  Missouri, 
and  now  is  dean  of  the  Margaret  Mor- 


rison Carnegie  School,  of  Pittsburgh.  2. 
Henry  Atwood,  who  died  in  infancy.  3. 
Charles  Henry,  born  March  11,  1876,  who 
is  a  graduate  of  Princeton,  and  is  master 
at  Lawrenceville  School,  Lawrenceville, 
New  Jersey.  He  married  Frances  De 
Forest  Martin,  a  daughter  of  Robert  L. 
and  Annie  (Smith)  Martin.  Issue,  three 
children :  Anne  Martin,  born  March  2, 
1905 ;  Elizabeth  Leiper,  born  December 
29,  1907;  Henry  Atwood,  born  November 
29,  1910. 

Henry  A.  Breed  died  on  February  26, 
1914.  His  death  was  a  great  loss  to 
Pittsburgh.  Forceful,  sagacious,  and  re- 
sourceful, he  was  recognized  as  one  of 
those  in  the  inmost  circle  who  are  closest 
to  the  business  concerns  and  financial 
interests  which  have  most  largely  served 
the  growth  and  progress  of  the  city.  He 
had  gained  a  success  in  life  not  measured 
by  financial  prosperity  alone,  but  gauged 
by  kindly  amenities  and  congenial  asso- 
ciations. Brief  and  imperfect  as  this 
biography  necessarily  is,  it  falls  far  short 
of  justice  to  him  if  it  fails  to  excite  regret 
that  there  are  not  more  citizens  to  equal 
him  in  ability  and  virtue,  and  gratitude 
that  there  are  some  so  worthy  of  honor 
and  of  imitation. 


ELLIOTT,  William  S., 

Prominent  Mannfacturer. 

William  Swan  Elliott,  president,  treas- 
urer and  director  of  The  Elliott  Company, 
a  widely  known  manufacturing  corpora- 
tion, is  a  true  type  of  the  Pittsburgh 
business  man.  Mr.  Elliott,  though  not 
a  Pittsburgher  by  birth,  has  spent  the 
greater  part  of  his  active  life  in  the 
metropolis  and  is  intimately  associated 
not  only  with  her  manufacturing  inter- 
ests, but  also  with  other  elements  essen- 
tial to  her  prosperity  as  a  municipality. 

The  Elliott  family  is  an  ancient  one  of 
.Scottish  origin.  Manv  branches  are  found 


'873 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


not  only  in  Scotland,  but  also  in  England, 
Ireland  and  America  and  members  of  the 
race  have  achieved  prominence  in  the 
professions  and  in  other  walks  of  life. 

John  Elliott,  grandfather  of  William 
Sw^an  Elliott,  was  a  first  cousin  of  the 
second  Earl  of  Minta,  of  Scotland,  and  a 
lineal  descendant  of  Sir  Gilbert  Elliott, 
of  Golden  Garter  fame.  John  Elliott  was 
born  in  Scotland,  and  bred  there.  He 
married  Mary  Robinson  and  they  appear 
to  have  emigrated  to  the  United  States. 

(II)  John  (2),  son  of  John  (i)  and 
Mary  (Robinson)  Elliott,  was  born  in 
Scotland,  near  the  border,  and  in  early 
life  was  a  schoolmaster,  later  turning  his 
attention  to  agricultural  pursuits.  He 
was  six  years  old  when  brought  to  the 
United  States,  his  parents  settling  in 
Ohio,  and  there  the  remainder  of  his  life 
seems  to  have  been  passed.  He  was  a 
Republican  in  politics  and  a  Presbyterian 
in  religion.  Mr.  Elliott  married  Cather- 
ine, born  in  County  Tyrone,  Ireland, 
daughter  of  John  and  Jane  (Moore) 
Adams,  the  latter  a  relative  of  the  Irish 
poet,  Thomas  Moore,  beloved  not  only  of 
his  own  island,  but  of  the  world  at  large. 
Catherine  Adams  came  in  girlhood  to  the 
United  States  and  was  adopted  by  an 
uncle,  Andrew  Adams,  of  Ohio.  The  fol- 
lowing children  were  born  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Elliott :  Mary  Jane,  widow  of  D. 
S.  McBean,  of  Wellsville.  Ohio;  Eliza- 
beth, deceased ;  Andrew  A.,  a  physician 
of  Steubenville,  Ohio,  now  deceased ;  and 
William  Swan,  mentioned  below.  The 
death  of  Mr.  Elliott  occurred  in  1869.  He 
was  the  eldest  of  four  children,  the  others 
being  George,  Richard  and  Alinta,  now 
Mrs.  Gilchrist,  of  Sharpsville.  Ohio. 

(III)  William  Swan,  son  of  John  (2) 
and  Catherine  (Adams)  Elliott,  was  born 
October  8,  1863,  i"  Columbiana  county, 
Ohio,  and  received  his  early  education  in 
public  schools,  afterward  attending  the 
Pennsylvania    State    College    and    then 


entering  Cornell  University.  From  this 
institution  he  graduated  in  1887  with  the 
degree  of  Mechanical  Engineer. 

The  same  year  Mr.  Elliott  engaged  in 
business  in  Chicago  and  in  the  west, 
working  as  an  electrical  engineer  and 
after  a  time  establishing  himself  inde- 
pendently. In  1896  he  came  to  Pitts- 
burgh, becoming  general  sales  manager 
of  the  Sterling  Boiler  Company  and  re- 
taining this  position  until  1904.  In  1901 
Mr.  Elliott  organized  the  Liberty  Manu- 
facturing Company,  becoming  president 
and  director.  The  concern  manufactured 
steam-power  accessories  and  proved  very 
successful.  In  1910  Mr.  Elliott  organized 
the  Elliott  Company  for  participation  in 
the  same  line  of  industry,  and  now  con- 
trols the  two  companies,  being  president 
and  director  of  both,  also  treasurer  of  the 
latter.  The  Elliott  Company  was  incor- 
])orated  under  the  laws  of  the  State  of 
Pennsylvania  with  a  capital  stock  of 
$850,000.  The  offices  of  both  companies 
are  in  Pittsburgh,  but  the  plant  is  at 
Jeannette,  Pennsylvania,  on  a  thirty-three 
acre  plot.  Its  product  has  markets  in  all 
parts  of  the  world. 

In  politics  Mr.  Elliott  is  an  Independ- 
ent Republican,  but  takes  no  active  part 
in  the  affairs  of  the  organization.  He 
belongs  to  the  American  Society  of  Me- 
chanical Engineers,  the  American  Acad- 
emy of  Political  and  Social  Science  of 
Philadelphia,  the  Engineers'  Society  of 
Western  Pennsylvania,  and  the  Engi- 
neers' Club  of  New  York.  His  other 
clubs  are  the  University  and  the  Pitts- 
burgh Press  Clubs  and  he  is  also  enrolled 
in  the  Pittsburgh  Athletic  Association. 
He  affiliates  with  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
having  attained  the  thirty-second  degree. 
Active  in  all  that  tends  to  improve  his 
cit)''  and  a  thoroughly  progressive  and 
virile  business  man,  he  looks  what  he  is. 

Mr.  Elliott  married,  February  18,  1890, 
Anna  M.,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Louise 
874 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF   BIOGRAPHY 


(Alexander)  Leyden,  of  Beech  Creek, 
Clinton  county,  Pennsylvania,  Mr.  Ley- 
den being  a  retired  business  man  of  that 
place.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Elliott  are  the  par- 
ents of  the  following  children :  George 
Frederick,  born  July  13,  1892,  educated 
in  Pittsburgh  schools,  Bellefonte  Acad- 
emy and  Pennsylvania  State  College, 
class  of  191 5.  mechanical  engineering 
course ;  Margaret  Alexander,  born  Octo- 
ber 30,  1901 ;  Gilbert  Leyden,  born  Janu- 
ary 2,  1903,  educated  in  Pittsburgh 
schools  ;  and  William  Adams,  born  March 
I,  1904.  Mrs.  Elliott  belongs  to  various 
clubs,  among  them  the  Twentieth  Cen- 
tury and  Tuesday  Musical  and  is  a  suffra- 
gist and  an  accomplished  home-maker. 


BROWN,  John  Robert,  M.  D., 

Practitioner,  Hospital  Official. 

The  rapid  development  of  surgical 
science  during  the  last  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury has  led  many  physicians  to  devote 
themselves  almost  exclusively  to  the  sur- 
gical branch  of  their  profession,  and 
among  these  must  be  numbered  Dr.  John 
Robert  Brown  who  has,  for  the  last  fif- 
teen years,  been  practicing  in  Pittsburgh. 
Dr.  Brown  is  known  not  only  as  a  sur- 
geon, but  also  as  an  occasional  con- 
tributor to  the  literature  of  his  profession. 

John  Robert  Brown  was  born  February 
12,  1868,  in  County  Down,  Ireland,  and 
is  a  son  of  the  late  Samuel  and  Margaret 
fOrr)  Brown.  The  boy  was  educated  in 
national  schools  of  his  native  land  and 
in  1888,  having  reached  the  age  of  twenty, 
he  emigrated  to  the  United  States,  where 
he  was  for  a  time  employed  as  book- 
keeper for  a  firm.  This  position,  how- 
ever, was  but  a  stepping-stone  to  the  pro- 
fession which  he  intended  to  make  his 
life-work,  and  in  1895  he  entered  the 
Medical  Department  of  the  Western  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania,  now  the  Univer- 


sity of  Pittsburgh,  graduating  in  1899 
with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine. 
After  spending  a  year  as  interne  in  the 
West  Pennsylvania  flospital  Dr.  Brown 
began  general  practice  in  Pittsburgh,  and 
very  soon,  by  reason  of  taste  and  natural 
aptitude,  directed  the  greater  part  of  his 
attention  to  surgery,  gradually  eliminat- 
ing the  medical  element.  Success  has 
attended  his  efforts  and  he  is  now  in  pos- 
session of  a  large  and  increasing  clientele. 
Since  1900  he  has  been  a  member  of  the 
assistant  surgical  stafif  of  the  West 
Pennsylvania  Hospital.  For  some  years 
he  served  on  the  surgical  staff  of  the 
South  Side  Hospital  and  for  a  time  on 
that  of  the  Passavant  Hospital.  For  a 
number  of  years  he  has  been  surgeon  to 
the  Wabash  Railroad  Company. 

Among  the  professional  organizations 
of  which  Dr.  Brown  is  a  member  are  the 
American  Medical  Association,  the  Penn- 
sylvania State  Medical  Association  and 
the  Allegheny  County  Medical  Society. 
He  has,  from  time  to  time,  contributed 
to  medical  magazines.  Politically  Dr. 
Brown  is  a  Republican.  In  Masonry  he 
has  taken  the  thirty-second  degree  and 
his  affiliations  are  with  Milnor  Lodge, 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Second  Presbyterian 
Church. 

Dr.  Brown  married,  November  29, 
1908,  Lottie  Margaret,  daughter  of  Lach- 
lin  Mcintosh,  of  North  Side,  Pittsburgh, 
and  they  are  the  parents  of  two  children : 
Robert  Mcintosh,  born  February'  25, 
T910;  and  John  Samuel,  born  November 
3.  191 1.  Mrs.  Brown  is  a  woman  of  win- 
ning personality  and  she  and  her  husband 
are  popular  in  the  social  circles  of  Pitts- 
burgh, their  charming  home  in  the  Schen- 
ley  Farms  portion  of  the  East  End  being 
a  centre  of  genial  hospitality.  The  par- 
ents of  Dr.  Brown  did  not  come  to  the 
United    States,    but    his    two    brothers, 

875 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Samuel  and  William  Brown,  are  both 
active  in  the  business  world  of  Pitts- 
burgh. 

By  reason  of  its  magnitude  and  im- 
portance there  is  probably  no  other  in- 
dustrial centre  in  the  world  as  greatly  in 
need  of  skillful  surgeons  as  the  metropolis 
of  Pennsylvania  and  the  success  which 
has  attended  Dr.  Brown  in  the  city  of 
his  adoption  attests  the  wisdom  of  his 
choice. 


CARTWRIGHT,  Harry  Barlow,  M.  D., 

Practitioner,  Hospital  Ofucial. 

One  of  the  best  known  physicians  in 
Pittsburgh  during  the  last  fifteen  years 
or  more  was  the  late  Dr.  Harry  Barlow 
Cartwright.  Dr.  Cartwright  was  espe- 
cially devoted  to  hospital  work  and  was 
assiduous  in  the  duties  of  citizenship  no 
less  than  in  those  pertaining  to  his  pro- 
fession. 

Richard  Cartwright,  great-grandfather 
of  Harry  Barlow  Cartwright,  was  born 
in  England  and  was  a  farmer  and  civil 
engineer,  laying  out  all  the  roads  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Church  Stretton,  Shrop- 
shire. The  name  of  his  wife  was  Susan 
Beddis. 

(II)  Edward,  son  of  Richard  and 
Susan  (Beddis)  Cartwright,  was  born 
February  28,  1793,  in  Stoneacton,  Card- 
ington  parish,  Shropshire,  England,  and 
was  a  farmer.  Presumably  in  middle  life 
he  emigrated  to  the  United  States,  but 
was  never  naturalized.  He  belonged  first 
to  the  Church  of  England  and  afterward 
to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church.  Mr. 
Cartwright  married,  in  1819,  Mary 
Hamer,  born  August  11,  1790,  and  their 
children  were :  Henry ;  Richard,  men- 
tioned below;  Susan;  Edward;  James; 
Thomas ;  Charles ;  and  William.  Mrs. 
Cartwright  died  January  28,  1871,  and  her 
husband  passed  away  March  2,  1874. 

(III)  Richard  (2),  son  of  Edward  and 


Mary  (Hamer)  Cartwright,  was  born 
April  15,  1822,  at  Ruckley,  England,  and 
at  the  age  of  eighteen  began  to  study  for 
the  ministry.  He  preached  in  England 
until  1848,  when  he  came  to  the  United 
States,  where  he  preached  in  West  Vir- 
ginia and  was  long  a  member  of  the 
Pittsburgh  Conference.  In  politics  he 
was  always  a  Republican.  Mr.  Cart- 
wright married,  August  20,  1855,  at  Nor- 
wich, Ohio,  Louise,  born  at  that  place, 
May  20,  1834,  daughter  of  David  and 
Mary  Sinsabaugh,  and  a  descendant  of 
German  ancestors,  and  their  children 
were :  Charles  Lewis  Edward,  born 
June  25,  1856;  Mary  Virginia  Josephine, 
born  November  12,  1858;  David  Trott, 
born  February  4,  1861  ;  Harry  Barlow, 
mentioned  below ;  and  Emma  Louise, 
born  February  20,  1878.  In  1895  ^^• 
Cartwright  retired  from  the  active  work 
of  the  ministry,  having  labored  forty- 
seven  years  in  the  United  States  and 
several  in  his  native  land,  making  a  total 
of  about  half  a  century  devoted  to  preach- 
ing the  gospel.  On  April  15,  1901,  the 
day  on  which  he  completed  his  seventy- 
ninth  year,  this  good  man  passed  away 
at  West  Bridgewater,  Pennsylvania,  one 
of  the  oldest  members  of  the  Pittsburgh 
Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church.  The  death  of  Mrs.  Cartwright 
occurred  at  the  same  place.  May  2,  1902. 
(IV)  Harry  Barlow,  son  of  Richard 
(2)  and  Louise  (Sinsabaugh)  Cartwright, 
was  born  Februarj'  6,  1864,  ^t  Summer- 
field,  Noble  county.  Ohio,  and  attended 
the  public  schools  of  Pittsburgh.  He  was 
fitted  for  his  profession  at  Rush  Medical 
College.  Chicago,  graduating  in  1891  with 
the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine.  For 
a  few  months  thereafter  Dr.  Cartwright 
practiced  in  Johnstown,  Pennsylvania, 
and  in  the  autumn  of  1891  came  to  Pitts- 
burgh, where  he  remained  to  the  close 
of  his  life,  building  up  one  of  the  largest 
clienteles  in  the  citv.     He  was  a  member 


T876 


fi^jA^ 


r^t-n^^J^y 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF   BIOGRAPHY 


of  the  staff  of  St.  Francis'  Hospital,  his 
work  being  of  great  value  to  that  institu- 
tion ;  also  a  member  of  the  Academy  of 
Medicine  and  Allegheny  County  Medical 
Society. 

In  politics  Dr.  Cartwright  was  a  Re- 
publican, but  the  demands  of  his  profes- 
sion together  with  a  disinclination  for 
public  life  prevented  him  from  taking  any 
part  more  active  than  that  always  requir- 
ed of  a  good  citizen.  From  childhood  he 
had  belonged  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
communion  and  at  the  time  of  his  death 
was  a  member  of  the  Emory  Church. 
One  of  his  most  marked  characteristics 
was  a  love  of  nature  and  he  was  enrolled 
in  the  Black  Hawk  Hunting  and  Fishing 
Club  which  has  its  headquarters  near 
Fort  Atkinson,  Wisconsin.  Birds,  flow- 
ers, all  that  was  beautiful  in  the  life  of 
the  open,  appealed  strongly  to  him  and 
yielded  him  the  keenest  delight.  His 
countenance,  with  its  high,  broad  fore- 
head, well  moulded  features  accentuated 
by  a  moustache  and  calm,  searching  eyes, 
was  expressive  of  the  fine  intellect,  candid 
disposition  and  warm  heart  which  sur- 
rounded him  with  friends  both  within 
and  without  the  pale  of  his  profession. 

Dr.  Cartwright  married,  February  22, 
1893,  ^t  Homestead,  Pennsylvania,  Emma 
Jeannette,  born  August  18,  1870,  at  that 
place,  daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth 
Jane  (Jones)  Wesley.  Mr.  Wesley  was 
brought  to  the  United  States  from  Wales 
at  the  age  of  five  years  and  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life  in  Pittsburgh,  where 
he  became  a  dry-goods  merchant;  he  re- 
tired about  twelve  years  before  death. 
During  the  Civil  War  he  was  drafted,  but 
peace  was  declared  before  he  could  reach 
the  seat  of  war.  He  died  December  24, 
1914,  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine.  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Cartwright  were  the  parents  of  one 
son :  Harry  Wesley,  born  December  23, 
1893,  attended  the  Pittsburgh  high 
school,  spent  one  year  at  the  University 


of  Pittsburgh  and  is  still  pursuing  his 
education.  Mrs.  Cartwright,  a  charming, 
cultured  woman,  and  a  devoted  wife  and 
mother,  presided  over  a  home  which  was 
to  her  husband  the  happiest  and  most 
restful  spot  on  earth.  The  widowhood 
of  Mrs.  Cartwright  is  brightened  by  the 
warm  and  faithful  attachment  of  many 
steadfast  friends. 

Scarcely  had  Dr.  Cartwright  passed  the 
fiftieth  milestone  when  he  was  suddenly 
summoned  from  the  scene  of  his  labors, 
passing  away  March  29,  1914.  Widely 
and  deeply  was  he  mourned,  by  the  med- 
ical fraternity  and  by  the  multitudes  to 
whom  he  had  wisely,  faithfully  and  un- 
selfishly ministered.  Dr.  Cartwright  was 
the  son  of  a  man  eminently  useful  in  his 
sacred  calling  whose  record  is  worthily 
supplemented  by  that  so  imperfectly  out- 
lined here — the  story  of  the  life  of  an  able 
and  devoted  member  of  a  most  noble 
profession. 


HOWARD,  William  Jordan, 

Mayor  of  Pittsburgh,   1845. 

William  Howard  (father  of  the  late 
William  Jordan  Howard,  one  of  the  early 
mayors  of  Pittsburgh),  was  born  in  Eng- 
land, about  1766,  and  came  to  America 
about  1794.  Fie  was  married,  near  Wil- 
mington, Delaware,  at  Mill  Creek  Hun- 
dred, on  the  Brandywine  river,  about 
1798,  to  Elizabeth  Jordan,  daughter  of 
William  Jordan  and  Rebecca,  his  wife. 
They  lived  in  Delaware  for  a  time  then 
moved  to  Columbiana  county,  Ohio. 
After  the  death  of  his  wife,  in  or  before 
181 5,  William  Howard  left  Ohio  and 
moved  to  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania.  Wil- 
liam Howard  died  in  Pittsburgh,  Penn- 
sylvania, at  the  home  of  his  daughter, 
Mrs.  Mackey,  in  April,  1828,  aged  sixty- 
two  years,  and  is  buried  in  Trinity 
churchyard,  Pittsburgh.  Issue  of  Wil- 
liam and  Elizabeth  (Jordan)  Howard :  i. 
877 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


William  Jordan  Howard  (see  below).  2. 
Rebecca  Howard,  born  1801 ;  married 
Robert  Mackey,  of  Pittsburgh ;  died  1855. 
3.  Levi  Howard,  born  1803 ;  died  1855 ; 
unmarried.  4.  Myrtilla  Howard,  died  as 
a  child.  5.  James  Boyd  Howard,  born 
near  Little  Beaver  river,  Ohio,  1805 ;  died 
1900;  married  Louisa  Pinder  Nicholls.  6. 
Eliza  J.  Howard,  born  1810;  died  1887; 
married  Robert  H.  Hartley,  son  of 
Thomas  Hartley. 

William  Jordan  Howard,  son  of  Wil- 
liam and  Elizabeth  (Jordan)  Howard, 
was  born  at  Mill  Creek  Hundred,  near 
Wilmington,  Delaware,  about  midnight, 
December  31,  1799.  He  was  married,  in 
Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania,  May  14,  1824, 
at  the  home  of  the  bride,  on  Smithfield 
street  between  Fifth  avenue  and  Diamond 
Alley,  to  Lydia  Updegraflf,  daughter  of 
Abner  Updegrafif  and  Jane,  his  wife.  Wil- 
liam Jordan  Howard  was  mayor  of  Pitts- 
burgh at  the  time  of  the  "Big  Fire"  of 
1845.  He  died  October  2,  1862,  at  his 
residence  on  Third  street,  Pittsburgh,  and 
is  buried  in  the  Allegheny  Cemetery, 
Pittsburgh.  Issue  of  William  Jordan  and 
Lydia  (Updegrafif)  Howard:  i.  Caroline 
Howard,  married  William  Jack,  of  Hol- 
lidaysburg,  Pennsylvania,  and  left  issue. 
2.  William  Jordan  Howard  Jr.,  of  Phila- 
delphia, Pennsylvania,  married  Mrs. 
Sophia  B.  Angue,  a  daughter  of  Jonathan 
Swain  and  Anna  Maria  Fenner,  his  wife, 
and  left  issue.  3.  Jane  Howard  married 
John  Christmas  Reno,  son  of  John  Reno 
and  Elizabeth  Christmas,  his  wife ;  left 
issue.  4.  Byron  Howard,  died  as  a  child. 
5.  Eliza  Howard,  died  aged  eighteen 
years,  unmarried.  6.  Henrietta  Howard, 
married  Alexander  Nimick,  of  Pittsburgh, 
son  of  William  Nimick  and  Jane  Kennedy, 
his  wife,  and  left  issue.  7.  Rebecca  How- 
ard. 8.  Abner  Updegraflf  Howard,  of 
Pittsburgh  ;  married  (first)  Fannie  Can- 
field,  daughter  of  John  Canfield ;  married 
(second)  Martha  Albertson,  daughter  of 


Morton  Albertson  and  Sarah  Lee,  his  wife, 
of  Norristown,  Pennsylvania.  9.  Hartley 
Howard,  of  Pittsburgh,  married  Olivia 
Chambers,  daughter  of  Alexander  Cham- 
bers; left  issue.  10.  Mary  Howard,  mar- 
ried, November  17,  1869,  Henry  Blake 
Hays,  whose  biography  appears  else- 
where in  this  work.  11.  Virginia 
Howard,  died  aged  eighteen,  unmarried. 
12.  James  Mackey  Howard,  of  Los 
Angeles,  California,  married  Annie 
Thomas,  daughter  of  Robert  Thomas  and 
Susan  Watson  Dixon,  his  wife ;  issue,  one 
child. 

Abner  Updegraflf,  father  of  Mrs.  Lydia 
(Updegraff)  Howard,  was  a  son  of  John 
Updegrafif,  of  York  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  Anne,  his  wife,  and  a  direct 
descendant  from  the  Updegrafifs  who  set- 
tled Germantown,  Pennsylvania,  in  1683. 
Abner  Updegraflf  was  born  1771 ;  died 
1846;  buried  in  Allegheny  Cemetery.  His 
daughter,  Lydia  UpdegrafT  Howard,  was 
born  May  14,  1804;  died  July  2,  1871,  and 
is  buried  in  Allegheny  Cemetery,  Pitts- 
burgh. 


CRANE,  Monsignor  Michael  J., 

Distinguished  Prelate. 

How  beauteous  was  that  temple  of  the  Lord, 
Reared  to  His  glory  by  King  Solomon! 
Victims  he  ofifered  there  the  Holy  One, 
And  in  its  place,  the  Ark  devoutly  stored. 
Triumphant  music  swelled  in  sweet  accord 
For  eight  long  days;  and  sounds  of  jubilee 
Thro'  all  the  georgeous  fane  were  gladly  pour'd 
As  earth  re-echoed  heavens  minstrelsy! 

And  yet  this  temple's  treasures  far  outshine 

King  Solomon's — The  Eucharistic  Ark 

Is  here  upraised.     The  Victim  of  this  shrine 

Is  Christ  Himself,  our  very  God — and  hark! 

Celestial  strains  the  choristers  entone — 

The  great  De  Sales  hath  come  to  bless  his  own! 

Thus  wrote  Eleanor  C.  Donnelly  in 
honor  of  the  dedication  of  St.  Francis 
DeSales  Church,  in  West  Philadelphia, 
probably  the  most  valuable,  certainly  the 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


most  handsome,  church  property  in  Phil- 
adelphia. Father  Crane  came  to  that 
parish,  its  second  pastor,  and  there  his 
splendid  abilities  and  genius  for  organiza- 
tion has  found  full  vent.  His  remarkable 
pastorate  at  DeSales  began  in  1903,  and 
his  work  for  the  new  temple  of  worship 
was  unceasing  until  October  12,  191 1, 
when  the  magnificent  church  at  Forty- 
seventh  street  and  Springfield  avenue 
was  dedicated  and  blessed  with  solemn 
and  appropriate  ceremonies. 

The  dream  of  Father  Crane's  boyhood 
was  to  become  a  priest,  and  from  the  date 
of  his  ordination  in  1889  until  the  present, 
his  career  has  been  one  of  unceasing 
effort  and  great  usefulness.  Churchly 
honors  and  appreciation  have  been  con- 
ferred upon  him  abundantly,  the  culmi- 
nating honor  being  bestowed  on  Septem- 
ber 23,  1915,  by  His  Holiness  Pope 
Benedict  XV.,  who  in  recognition  of  his 
learning,  piety  and  zeal,  nominated  him 
Domestic  Prelate  with  the  title  of 
Monsignor. 

Right  Rev.  Monsignor  Michael  J. 
Crane  was  born  in  Ashland,  Pennsyl- 
vania, September  8,  1863,  and  received  his 
early  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
that  town.  He  entered  the  Seminary  of 
St.  Charles  Borromeo  at  Overbrook  in 
1880,  and  was  ordained  to  the  priesthood 
in  the  Cathedral  by  Archbishop  Ryan  on 
June  5,  1889,  celebrating  his  first  mass 
the  following  Sunday  in  his  own  home, 
Ashland,  in  St.  Joseph's  Church. 

The  Visitation  parish  in  Philadelphia 
was  the  scene  of  his  first  labors  in  the 
ministry ;  he  was  then  placed  in  charge 
temporarily  of  St.  Joseph's,  at  Downing- 
town,  Pennsylvania.  He  was  the  first  of 
the  three  pioneer  priests  of  the  Arch- 
diocese assigned  to  pursue  higher  studies 
at  the  Catholic  University,  Washingon, 
District  of  Columbia,  entering  the  univer- 
sity at  its  opening.  After  finishing  the 
course  at  the  university  he  was  awarded 


the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Sacred  The- 
ology, and  in  June,  1890,  was  assigned  as 
assistant  at  St.  Peter's,  at  Reading,  Penn- 
sylvania, continuing  in  service  there  until 
the  following  September.  In  that  month 
he  was  appointed  to  St.  Malachy's,  in 
Philadelphia,  where  as  assistant  to  the 
present  Archbishop  Prendergast  he 
labored  unceasingly  for  thirteen  years, 
winning  love  and  esteem  from  all  that 
came  in  contact  with  him,  irrespective 
of  creed.  The  splendid  new  interior  of 
St.  Malachy's  is  largely  due  to  the  untir- 
ing efforts  of  Father  Crane,  and  as  one 
of  the  few  priests  assigned  by  the  late 
Archbishop  Ryan  to  procure  funds  for 
the  new  protectory,  he  was  remarkably 
successful.  He  had  charge  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin  Mary  Sodality,  which  increased 
in  membership  under  his  care  until  it 
numbered  seven  hundred,  and  when  the 
pastor  was  appointed  Auxiliary  Bishop 
of  Philadelphia  much  of  the  immediate 
direction  of  the  parish  fell  on  Father 
Crane. 

When  on  October  3,  1903,  Rev.  Joseph 
H.  O'Neill  laid  down  life's  burdens  and  left 
a  vacancy  in  the  pastorate  of  St.  Francis 
DeSales  parish,  of  which  he  was  the  first 
pastor.  Father  Crane  was  chosen  to  fill 
the  vacancy.  He  assumed  charge  of  the 
parish  October  14,  1903,  and  there  he  has 
not  only  built  a  church  of  stone  and 
marble,  most  beautiful  in  every  sense  of 
the  word  and  one  that  will  stand  as  a 
monument  to  his  earnest  zeal,  remarkable 
enthusiasm  and  great  ability,  but  what  is 
of  more  moment  and  a  most  lasting 
monument,  is  the  deep,  strong  religious 
spirit  that  he  has  cultivated  which  ani- 
mates every  heart  within  the  confines  of 
the  parish.  On  October  6,  1907,  the 
corner  stone  of  the  new  church  was  laid 
by  Right  Rev.  Edmond  F.  Prendergast, 
Bishop  of  Philadelphia,  in  the  presence 
of  Right  Rev.  John  E.  Fitzmaurice, 
Bishop  of  Erie,  Right  Rev.  William 
879 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Jones,  Bishop  of  Porto  Rico,  one  hundred 
priests,  and  thousands  of  people,  all 
anxious  to  show  their  esteem  for  the 
pastor,  their  appreciation  of  the  faith  and 
a  fitting  temple  for  its  practice. 

During  the  following  four  years  a  beau- 
tiful temple  of  Romanesque  architecture 
with  Byzantine  details  grew  upon  the 
ample  lot  at  Forty-seventh  street  and 
Springfield  avenue,  that  when  completed 
was,  with  its  great  polished  dome,  visible 
for  miles  in  every  direction,  one  of  the 
most  magnificent  edifices  in  the  city.  The 
beautiful  church  was  dedicated  on  Sun- 
day, September  12,  191 1,  by  Most  Rev. 
Edmond  F.  Prendergast,  D.  D.,  assisted 
by  Right  Rev.  John  E.  Fitzmaurice, 
Bishop  of  Erie,  Right  Rev.  John  Hoban, 
Bishop  of  Scranton,  Right  Rev.  James  J. 
Carroll,  D.  D.,  Bishop  of  Nueva  Segovia, 
Philippine  Islands,  one  hundred  priests 
and  church  dignitaries  assisting  in  the 
solemn  services  conducted  before  large 
audiences  at  every  service. 

In  addition  to  this  evidence  of  the  ma- 
terial prosperity  of  the  parish  under 
Father  Crane,  much  might  be  said  con- 
cerning every  department  of  DeSales 
Church  work,  its  schools,  its  societies  and 
its  many  philanthropies,  all  keeping  pace. 
He  is  beloved  by  young  and  old,  number- 
ing his  friends  both  within  and  without 
the  parish  he  has  served  so  well.  He  has 
always  taken  a  deep  interest  in  the  Cath- 
olic University  of  America,  which  he 
entered  with  its  first  class,  and  has 
served  as  president  of  the  Alumni  Asso- 
ciation. On  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary 
of  the  opening  of  the  university,  the 
Alumni  Association  presented  its  alma 
mater  with  a  fine  portrait  painting  of 
Bishop  Sheehan,  the  rector,  and  by  vote 
the  donors  chose  Father  Crane  to  make 
the  presentation  speech,  which  he  did  in  a 
most  eloquent,  happy  manner. 

His  elevation  to  the  higher  dignity  of 
Domestic  Prelate  with  the  title  of  Mon- 


signor,  to  which  previous  reference  has 
been  made,  came  through  the  favor  of 
His  Holiness  the  Pope  of  Rome,  by  whom 
he  was  nominated  September  23,  1915, 
the  brief  arriving  in  Philadelphia  on 
October  16,  and  on  the  following  No- 
vember 14  he  was  invested  in  St.  Francis 
DeSales  Church  by  Most  Rev.  Edmond 
F.  Prendergast,  D.  D.,  with  the  insignia, 
authority  and  dignity  of  his  office,  the 
sermon  being  delivered  by  Rev.  Francis 
J.  Sheehan,  professor  at  the  Seminary  of 
St.  Charles  Borromeo,  Overbrook. 
Solemn  Pontifical  mass  celebrated  by 
Right  Rev.  E.  M.  Albrecht. 

Although  now  "Monsignor"  Crane, 
and  a  high  church  dignitary,  it  is  as 
"Father"  Crane,  pastor  of  St.  Francis  De- 
Sales,  that  Philadelphia  knows  and  loves 
him. 


TUSTIN,  Ernest  Leigh,  A.  M.,  LL.  D., 

Xia^xryer,  Man  of  Affairs,  Public  Official. 

The  ancestral  lines  which  gave  to 
Philadelphia  her  present  Recorder  of 
Deeds,  Ernest  L.  Tustin,  trace  to  Eng- 
land and  Holland,  the  blood  of  Tustin, 
Phillips  and  Probasco  uniting  to  produce 
the  highly  esteemed  lawyer,  prominent 
business  man  and  public  official  of  today. 
Son  of  a  learned,  devoted  divine  of  the 
Baptist  church  and  a  college  professor, 
Mr.  Tustin  rightfully  inherits  his  scholar- 
ly tastes  and  interest  in  the  welfare  of 
church  and  school,  while  from  his  grand- 
father, John  Tustin,  an  active  and  suc- 
cessful business  man  of  Chester  county, 
comes  the  business  acumen  that  has 
marked  his  rise  to  positions  of  trust  and 
honor  in  the  commercial  world.  The  law 
to  Mr.  Tustin  is  an  acquired  taste,  but 
since  his  admission  to  the  bar  in  1887  he 
has  given  that  profession  first  and  promi- 
nent place  among  his  varied  activities. 
With  the  years  have  come  civil  honors 
through  election  and  appointment,  these 


^fWxx^-    ^^^...JiZ^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF   BIOGRAPHY 


including  a  State  Senatorship  and  mem- 
bership on  important  commissions,  and 
his  present  position,  Recorder  of  Deeds 
of  Philadelphia.  In  educational  and 
philanthropic  circles  his  ability  as  a 
lawyer,  his  clear  business  understanding, 
and  devoted  interest  has  been  freely 
drawn  upon,  his  official  connections  with 
such  institutions  being  varied  and  exten- 
sive. 

Ernest  Leigh  Tustin  is  a  son  of  Rev. 
Francis  Wayland  Tustin,  and  a  grandson 
of  John  and  Mary  (Phillips)  Tustin,  of 
Chester  county,  the  Phillips  family  one  of 
the  prominent  Colonial  and  Revolution- 
ary families  of  New  Jersey  and  Pennsyl- 
vania. 

Rev.  Francis  Wayland  Tustin  was 
born  in  Philadelphia,  November  8,  1834, 
and  from  graduation  at  Lewisburg 
University  in  1856  his  life  work  was  that 
of  instructor  and  minister.  He  was  made 
tutor  of  Lewisburg  University  in  1857, 
his  being  the  first  appointment  of  an 
alumnus  of  the  university  to  a  position 
upon  the  faculty.  In  i860  he  was 
appointed  Professor  of  Natural  Sciences, 
filling  that  chair  for  fourteen  years  and 
meriting  the  encomium  of  President 
Loomis,  "He  made  the  department  of 
natural  sciences  in  the  University."  Also 
an  eminent  classical  scholar,  he  assisted 
in  the  teaching  of  classes  in  Latin  and 
Greek.  In  1874  failing  eyesight  com- 
pelled him  to  abandon  laboratory  work 
and  the  chair  of  Natural  Sciences,  but  the 
trustees,  anxious  to  retain  his  valuable 
services,  elected  him  Professor  of  Greek 
Language  and  Literature,  a  chair  he  most 
worthily  filled.  In  the  absence  of  Presi- 
dent Loomis  in  Europe,  Professor  Tustin 
acted  as  president,  presiding  at  the  com- 
mencement exercises  of  1879. 

In  1866  Professor  Tustin  was  ordained 
a  minister  of  the  Baptist  church,  accept- 
ing a  call  from  the  First  Church  of 
Lewisburg.     Thereafter  his  life  was  de- 


voted to  the  services  of  that  church  and 
the  university,  and  he  refused  many  offers 
from  other  churches  and  institutions,  pre- 
ferring to  bestow  upon  the  two  most  near 
his  heart  all  of  his  energy  and  ability.  He 
was  a  man  of  liberal  culture,  refined  in 
nature,  fond  of  Greek  art,  of  music,  and 
lived  a  beautiful,  simple  daily  life.  Mor- 
ally and  intellectually  he  was  splendidly 
strong,  and  to  the  university  and  church 
was  most  valuable.  Tustin  Gymnasium 
is  named  in  his  honor,  the  library  at 
Bucknell  University  was  enriched  by  the 
gift  of  the  Greek  department  of  his  own 
fine  private  library  ;  while,  in  appreciation 
of  his  higher  character,  learning,  and 
service,  the  university  conferred  upon 
him  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Philosophy. 
Professor  Tustin  did  not  neglect  the 
plain  duties  of  life,  great  or  small,  but 
performed  faithfully  his  obligations  as  a 
citizen.  A  Republican  in  politics,  he  used 
his  powers  for  the  furtherance  of  the 
principles  of  that  party,  and  in  personal 
work  served  as  a  director  on  the  school 
board  of  Lewisburg.  He  believed  not 
only  in  mental  progress,  but  in  Christian 
instruction  for  youths  during  the  forma- 
tive period,  when  character  foundations 
are  being  laid. 

Professor  Tustin  married,  in  August. 
1859,  Maria  M..  daughter  of  John  and 
Mary  H.  (Bacon)  Probasco,  of  near 
Greenwich,  New  Jersey.  She  was  a  great- 
great-great-granddaughter  of  Christopher 
Probasco.  who  came  from  Holland  in 
1662  and  located  on  Manhattan  Island, 
becoming  a  judge  and  man  of  importance. 
John  Probasco  was  a  large  land  owner 
and  prosperous  farmer  of  New  Jersey. 
Children :  Ernest  Leigh,  and  Margaret, 
who  married  I.  Harrison  O'Harra.  of 
Philadelphia. 

Ernest  Leigh,  only  son  of  Rev.  Francis 
W.  and  Maria  M.  (Probasco)  Tustin,  was 
born  in  Lewisburg,  Union  county,  Penn- 
sylvania. December  30,  1862.  He  pre- 
h 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


pared  in  Lewisburg  schools,  entered 
Bucknell  University,  and  was  graduated 
in  the  class  of  1884,  afterward  taking 
post-graduate  courses  at  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania  and  there  completing  his 
classical  education.  Deciding  upon  the 
profession  of  law,  he  prepared  under  the 
preceptorship  of  Simon  P.  Wolverton,  of 
Sunbury,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  1887.  Soon  afterward  he 
moved  to  Philadelphia,  and  there  has 
risen  to  a  high  position  at  the  bar, 
specializing  in  corporation  and  orphans' 
court  law.  His  present  practice  is  as  a 
member  of  the  legal  firm  of  Tustin  & 
Wesley. 

Mr.  Tustin  is  a  Republican  in  politics, 
and  in  1906  was  elected  State  Senator 
from  the  Fourth  Senatorial  District.  In 
1910  he  was  elected  to  succeed  himself. 
He  introduced  and  had  passed  the  pre- 
liminary Educational  Act  which  has  dis- 
posed of  the  issues  regarding  preliminary 
education  for  students  in  pharmacy, 
medicine  and  dentistry,  and  at  his  sug- 
gestion the  One  Board  Medical  bill 
created  a  bureau  of  the  educational  de- 
partment which  settled  the  medical  con- 
troversy which  had  lasted  for  twenty 
years.  He  introduced  sixteen  bills  re- 
forming the  Road  Jury  System,  which  he 
followed  up  with  the  presentation  of  the 
bill  which  is  now  a  law  providing  for  a 
permanent  road  jury.  He  took  charge  in 
the  Senate  of  the  bill  making  a  needed 
increase  to  judicial  salaries,  and  intro- 
duced and  had  passed  the  bill  allowing 
judges  from  outside  districts,  when  not 
engaged  in  judicial  duties,  to  be  assigned 
for  aid  in  congested  districts.  The  State 
Fire  Marshals'  bill,  the  Uniform  Sales, 
Uniform  Bill  of  Lading  and  the  Uniform 
Warehouse  acts  and  the  present  excellent 
banking  law,  are  among  enactments  for 
which  he  was  sponsor.  He  was  appointed 
a  member  of  the  commission  to  revise 
the  election  laws  of  Pennsylvania  under 


the  joint  acts  of  1909  and  191 1-  and  is  also 
chairman  of  the  Panama-Pacific  Interna- 
tional Commission  authorized  by  resolu- 
tion of  the  Legislature,  June  14,  191 1.  He 
took  charge  of  the  new  School  Code  in 
the  Legislature,  securing  its  favor  with 
passage.  Upon  its  adoption  Dr.  Nathan 
S.  Schaefifer,  Superintendent  of  Public 
Instruction,  wrote:  "You  have  shown 
rare  skill  and  most  excellent  good  judg- 
ment in  managing  this  difficult  piece  of 
legislation.  The  schools  owe  you  a  debt 
of  gratitude  which  they  can  never  repay ;" 
and  the  Governor  presented  Senator  Tus- 
tin with  the  pen  with  which  the  code 
was  signed.  In  191 1  Mr.  Tustin  was 
elected  Recorder  of  Deeds  of  Philadel- 
phia, an  office  he  most  efficiently  fills. 

In  business  relations  Mr.  Tustin  is 
associated  with  corporations  mercantile 
and  financial.  He  is  vice-president  and 
treasurer  of  the  William  H.  Hoskins 
Company,  director  of  the  Quaker  City 
National  Bank,  director  of  the  Warrior 
Copper  Company,  director  of  the  Belmont 
Trust  Company,  and  managing  executor 
of  the  Alexander  Reed  Company,  and  a 
member  of  the  executive  council  of  the 
Philadelphia  Board  of  Trade. 

He  is  interested  in  church,  educational 
and  philanthropic  institutions,  giving  to 
these  the  fruits  of  his  legal  and  business 
ability  without  stint.  By  reason  of  his 
great  service  in  the  formation  and  pas- 
sage of  the  School  Code,  Bucknell  Univer- 
sity in  1914  conferred  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Laws. 

He  is  treasurer  of  the  Wisler  Memorial 
Home,  treasurer  of  the  Pennsylvania  Bap- 
tist Education  Society,  director  of  the 
American  Baptist  Education  Society,  trus- 
tee of  Bucknell  University,  trustee  of  the 
American  Baptist  Publication  Society, 
trustee  of  Crozer  Theological  Seminary, 
trustee  of  Hahnemann  College  and  Hos- 
pital, trustee  of  West  Philadelphia  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  and  solicitor 


1882 


ExN'CYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


for  the  Young  Women's  Christian  Asso- 
ciation and  for  a  number  of  charitable 
societies.  His  clubs  are  the  City,  Univer- 
sit3%  Lincoln,  Overbrook  Golf,  Merion 
Cricket  and  Union  League.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Pennsylvania  Society, 
Sons  of  the  Revolution,  through  the  ser- 
vices of  his  patriotic  great-grandfather, 
Lieutenant  Josiah  Phillips,  born  in  1761, 
died  in  1817,  second  lieutenant  of  Second 
Company  under  Captain  David  Phillips, 
Seventh  Battalion,  Colonel  William  Gib- 
bons, Chester  county,  Pennsylvania 
militia,  1777.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Colonial  Society  through  descent  from 
Christopher  Probasco.  He  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  different  fraternal  organizations 
and  bar  associations,  and  in  '■<=ligious  faith 
is  a  Baptist,  belonging  to  the  First 
Baptist  Church,  Philadelphia. 


BELL,  John  C, 

liawyer.  State  Official. 

The  name  of  John  Cromwell  Bell  has 
been  added  to  the  list  of  Philadelphians 
who  have  been  called  to  high  position  in 
the  State  government,  have  stood  the 
strain  of  public  life  with  honor  and  dis- 
tinction, and  have  returned  to  private 
pursuits  bearing  naught  but  favorable 
judgment  from  the  people  they  served. 
As  chief  legal  adviser  in  the  cabinet  of 
Governor  John  K.  Tener,  Mr.  Bell  ably 
and  successfully  handled  the  interests  of 
the  commonwealth,  and  during  his  four 
years  in  the  ofifice  of  Attorney  General 
of  Pennsylvania  added  to  the  worthy 
reputation  he  had  gained  in  another  high 
public  office  and  in  private  practice. 

John  Cromwell  Bell  was  born  at  Elders 
Ridge,  Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania,  of 
Scotch-Irish  parentage,  October  3,  1862, 
and  obtained  his  preparatory  education  in 
public,  high,  and  normal  schools,  prior 
to  beginning  the  study  of  law  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania.  His  legal  studies 
were  a  most  congenial  pursuit,  as  have 

PEN— Vol  VI-4  il 


been  his  legal  activities  of  later  years,  and 
he  took  his  LL.  B.  in  the  class  of  1884, 
being  awarded  at  graduation  two  of  the 
highest  class  honors.  His  work  in  his 
profession  began  at  once  at  the  Philadel- 
phia county  bar,  and  through  achieve- 
ment in  the  law  of  exceptional  merit  he 
rose  to  prominent  place  in  local  legal 
circles,  being  appointed  District  Attorney 
of  Philadelphia  county  by  the  Board  of 
Judges  in  April,  1903.  He  subsequently 
was  honored  by  the  nomination  of  his 
party,  the  Republican,  for  that  office,  and 
at  the  following  election  was  chosen  for 
a  three  years  term.  He  assumed  the 
duties  of  his  ofifice  January  i,  1904,  re- 
turning to  private  practice  in  Philadel- 
phia at  the  expiration  of  his  term,  and  so 
continued  until  appointed  to  the  Attor- 
ney-Generalship by  Governor  Tener. 
Taking  the  oath  of  ofifice  January  17,  191 1, 
Mr.  Bell  at  once  began  the  exercise  of  his 
rew  functions,  and  his  faithful  and  com- 
petent discharge  of  his  duties  forms  one 
of  the  most  brilliant  points  of  the  Tener 
admmistration.  The  task  of  reviewing 
his  accomplishments  is  a  lengthy  and 
laborious  one,  the  public  utilities  law, 
chiefly  his  work,  standing  out  against  a 
background  of  uniformly  creditable  ser- 
vice, as  does  his  defense  of  the  constitu- 
tionality of  Pennsylvania  statutes  before 
the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States. 

With  the  inauguration  of  Governor 
Brumbaugh,  Mr.  Bell  turned  a  perfectly 
ordered  ofifice  over  to  his  successor 
(Francis  S.  Brown),  and  returned  to  his 
Philadelphia  home.  It  is  his  privilege  to 
serve  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  in 
the  office  of  trustee. 

John  C.  Bell  married,  December  10, 
1890,  Fleurette  de  Benneville  Myers, 
daughter  of  Hon.  Leonard  Myers,  Con- 
gressman from  Philadelphia  from  1862  to 
1874,  and  Hethe  de  Benneville  (Keim) 
Myers,  and  has  children  :  John  Cromwell 
Jr.,  and  de  Benneville. 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


SPANG,  Charles  Frederick, 

Famous  Ironinaster,  Sterling  Citizen. 

For  three-quarters  of  a  century  the 
name  of  Charles  Frederick  Spang  was 
synonymous  with  the  development  of 
Pittsburgh's  colossal  iron  industry.  As 
head  of  the  famous  old  firm  of  Spang  & 
Company,  Mr.  Spang  was  one  of  the  iron 
magnates  of  Western  Pennsylvania  and 
as  one  of  the  sterling  citizens  of  Pitts- 
burgh he  was  identified  with  all  her  most 
essential  interests.  Mr.  Spang  was  a  rep- 
resentative of  a  family  which,  for  one 
hundred  and  fifty  years,  has  been  largely 
instrumental  in  giving  to  the  iron  manu- 
factures of  the  Keystone  State  their  in- 
ternational reputation  and  supremacy. 

Hans  George  Spang  (originally  Spong), 
g"reat-grandfather  of  Charles  Frederick 
Spang,  emigrated  in  1751  from  Rotter- 
dam, Holland,  and  settled  in  Greenwich 
township,  Berks  county,  Pennsylvania. 
He  was  the  father  of  six  sons :  Frederick, 
mentioned  below  ;  Leonard  ;  George  ;  and 
three  others  whose  names  have  not  been 
preserved.  Leonard  and  George  served  in 
the  Revolutionary  War,  the  former  dying 
in  captivity.  George  went  to  Europe 
with  General  Knyphausen,  the  com- 
mander of  the  Hessians,  and  became  a 
resident  of  Bremen,  where  he  acquired  a 
large  fortune  and  died  in  1826  without 
issue,  having  married  a  relation  of 
General  Knyphausen. 

(II)  Frederick,  son  of  Hans  George 
Spang,  associated  himself  with  the  iron 
industry,  then  in  its  infancy,  becoming 
owner  of  the  Oley  Furnaces  at  Semple, 
Pennsylvania,  among  the  oldest  in  the 
United  States,  having  been  built  in  1772. 
At  his  death  his  son,  Henry  S.,  mentioned 
below,  inherited  this  valuable  property. 

(III)  Henry  S.,  son  of  Frederick 
Spang,  operated  the  Oley  Furnaces  until 
about  the  time  when  the  Pennsylvania 
canal    was     completed    to    Huntingdon, 


when  he  removed  to  Huntingdon  county 
and  established  iron  works  at  Etna,  now 
in  Blair  county.  Perhaps  it  would  be 
more  correct  to  say  that  Mr.  Spang  came 
into  possession  of  iron  works  which  had 
been  recently  erected  and  were  still  in  a 
state  of  incipiency.  Through  the  com- 
bined enterprise  of  Mr.  Spang  and  his  son, 
Charles  Frederick,  mentioned  below, 
they  acquired,  as  the  Etna  Iron  Works, 
an  international  celebrity.  Henry  S. 
Spang  died  in  1845.  Pennsylvania  owes 
him  much  as  one  of  the  most  notable 
among  her  pioneer  iron  masters. 

(IV)  Charles  Frederick,  son  of  Henry 
S.  Spang,  was  born  May  6,  1809,  in 
Berks  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  early 
became  the  associate  of  his  father  in  the 
iron  business.  His  duties  called  him  fre- 
quently to  Pittsburgh,  and  although  but  a 
youth  he  had  foresight  sufficient  to  realize 
the  advantages  of  the  city,  its  situation 
making  it  the  market  of  the  east  and  west, 
and  he  also  perceived  its  prospective  im- 
portance as  a  manufacturing  centre.  In 
1828  the  firm  of  H.  S.  Spang  &  Son  was 
organized,  Charles  Frederick  Spang  being 
made  business  manager  of  the  Etna  Iron 
Works.  He  removed  to  Pittsburgh,  and 
the  firm,  largely  through  his  efiforts  and 
ability,  at  once  took  a  prominent  place 
among  the  iron  manufacturers  of  West- 
ern Pennsylvania.  In  1845  the  style  be- 
came Spang  &  Company,  the  firm  being 
then  dissolved  by  the  death  of  Henry  S. 
Spang.  It  was  reorganized  as  Spang  & 
Company,  being  composed  of  Charles 
Frederick  Spang,  James  McAuley  and 
Joseph  Long.  At  the  end  of  a  year  Mr. 
Long  retired,  but  the  style  of  the  firm 
remained  unchanged  until  1858,  when 
Spang  &  Company  sold  the  works  to  the 
firm  of  Spang,  Chalfant  &  Company, 
composed  of  Charles  H.  Spang,  eldest  son 
of  Charles  Frederick  Spang,  John  W. 
Chalfant,  Campbell  B.  Herron,  A.  M. 
Byers,  George  A.  Chalfant  and  Alfred  G. 
884 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Loyd.  Of  these  members  only  Charles 
H.  Spang  is  now  living.  Biographies  and 
portraits  of  John  W.  Chalfant,  A.  M. 
Byers  and  George  A.  Chalfant  appear 
elsewhere  in  this  work. 

At  this  time  Mr.  Spang  retired,  having 
achieved  exceptional  success,  and  wishing 
to  devote  the  remainder  of  his  life  to  the 
enjoyments  afforded  by  cultured  tastes 
and  a  social  temperament.  In  addition  to 
being  an  able  business  man  he  was  a  kind 
employer,  invariably  just  and  considerate 
and  never  allowing  any  Sunday  work  in 
his  mills.  After  his  retirement  he  re- 
moved to  Nice,  France,  where  he  resided 
during  the  remainder  of  his  life,  making 
occasional  trips  to  the  United  States.  He 
corresponded  regularly  with  his  son, 
Charles  H.  Spang,  keeping  in  close  touch 
with  affairs,  and  although  nearly  half  a 
century  elapsed  between  his  departure 
from  Pittsburgh  and  the  time  of  his 
death,  and  during  that  period  he  was  seen 
by  his  old  friends  and  neighbors  only  at 
long  intervals,  our  city  never  ceased  to 
claim  him  as  her  own,  regarding  him  as 
one  to  whom  she  owed,  in  large  measure, 
her  wonderful  progress  and  her  world- 
wide fame. 

In  politics  Mr.  Spang  was  first  a  Whig 
and  later  a  Republican,  but  could  never 
be  induced  to  become  a  candidate  for 
office,  preferring  to  concentrate  his  ener- 
gies on  his  immense  business  concerns. 
As  a  true  citizen  he  was  earnestly  inter- 
ested in  all  enterprises  which  meditated 
the  moral  improvement  and  social  culture 
of  the  community  and  actively  aided  a 
number  of  associations  by  his  influence 
and  means.  Widely  charitable,  so  quietly 
were  his  benefactions  bestowed  that  their 
full  number  will,  in  all  probability,  never 
be  known  to  the  world.  He  was  a  direc- 
tor of  the  Dixmont  Hospital  for  the  In- 
sane. 

It  is  a  noteworthy  fact  that  although 
Mr.  Spang's  father  and  grandfather  were 


the  founders  of  the  business  which  be- 
came the  inheritance  of  their  descendants, 
bringing  them  both  wealth  and  fame,  he 
himself  was,  in  one  sense,  a  pioneer.  To 
him  belongs  the  distinction  of  having 
been  the  first  manufacturer  of  wrought-iron 
tubes  west  of  the  Allegheny  mountains. 
Nor  is  this  all.  His  descendants  and  suc- 
cessors have  shown  themselves  worthy  of 
their  heritage,  keeping  pace,  to  the 
present  time,  with  the  ever-increasing 
demands  of  the  most  progressive  age  of 
the  world. 

The  personality  of  Mr.  Spang  was  that 
of  a  man  nobly  planned,  possessing,  in 
combination  with  strong  mental  endow- 
ments, generous  impulses  and  a  chival- 
rous sense  of  honor.  The  time-worn  but 
most  forceful  phrase,  "His  word  was  as 
good  as  his  bond"  admirably  epitomized 
his  dominant  trait.  Always  of  fine  pres- 
ence, his  appearance  in  his  later  years 
was  strikingly  courtly  and  noble.  He 
was  of  medium  height  and  dignified  bear- 
ing, his  intellectual  head  crowned  with 
iron  gray  hair  and  his  strong,  sensitive, 
patrician  features  accentuated  by  white 
moustache,  side  whiskers  and  beard, 
worn  rounded,  in  the  fashion  of  a  bygone 
day.  His  dark  eyes,  piercing  though  they 
were,  were  yet  most  kindly  in  expression 
and  his  manner,  unvaryingly  courteous 
to  all,  had  in  it,  when  he  addressed  the 
young  or  those  who  were  in  misfortune, 
something  peculiarly  gentle  and  gracious. 
He  was  ardent  in  his  friendships  and  his 
ripe  and  varied  experience  and  judicial 
mind  rendered  him  the  trusted  counsellor 
of  young  and  old.  He  was  a  genial, 
kindly  gentleman  and  a  wise  and  cour- 
ageous man. 

Mr.  Spang  married  Sarah  Ann,  born 
October  4,  1817,  daughter  of  Alfred  G. 
and  Alice  (McLanahan)  Loyd.  Mr.  Loyd 
was  born  March  19,  1792,  in  England,  and 
emigrated  to  the  United  States,  settling 
in  Pittsburgh,  where  he  engaged  in  busi- 
885 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ness  as  a  saddler.  He  died  May  28,  1835, 
and  his  wife,  who  was  born  March  21, 
1799,  passed  away  October  23,  1869,  at 
Etna,  Pennsylvania.  The  following  chil- 
dren were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Spang: 
Two  who  died  in  infancy;  Charles  H. ; 
Josephine,  deceased ;  Norman,  formerly 
connected  with  Spang,  Chalfant  &  Com- 
pany, and  now  living  in  France ;  Rosalie ; 
and  Alice. 

Charles  H.  Spang,  formerly  head  of  the 
firm  of  Spang,  Chalfant  &  Company,  but 
now  retired,  is  of  Pittsburgh  and  New 
York,  devoting  his  time  to  looking  after 
his  large  private  interests  and  to  travel- 
ling. 

The  influence  of  the  Spang  family  has 
left  an  indelible  stamp  on  Pittsburgh  and 
Western  Pennsylvania,  and  not  in  busi- 
ness only,  though  in  that  direction  most 
conspicuously  so,  has  this  influence  been 
exerted,  but  in  many  other  spheres  of 
thought  and  action.  Perhaps  the  extent 
to  which  Charles  Frederick  Spang  was 
identified  with  the  essential  interests  of 
Pittsburgh  will  be  more  fully  appreciated 
when  it  is  stated  that  he  was  one  of  the 
early  directors  of  the  Bank  of  Pittsburgh, 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  Western  Penn- 
sylvania Hospital,  a  corporator  of  the 
Allegheny  Cemetery  and  a  vestryman  and 
member  of  Trinity  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church,  being  thus  associated  with  the 
financial,  philanthropic  and  religious  ele- 
ments of  the  life  of  the  municipality. 

In  his  domestic  relations  Mr.  Spang 
was  peculiarly  happy.  His  wife,  a 
woman  of  charming  personality  and 
admirably  fitted  by  her  excellent  prac- 
tical mind  to  be  a  helpmate  to  her  hus- 
band in  his  aspirations  and  ambitions, 
was  an  accomplished  home-maker.  Mr. 
Spang  was  devoted  to  the  ties  of  family 
and  friendship  and  his  happiest  hours 
were  passed  at  his  own  fireside.  The 
presiding  genius  of  that  fireside  passed 
away  November  18,  1887,  at  Nice,  France. 


With  Mr.  Spang  the  attractions  of  the 
home  circle  were  superior  to  those  of 
clubs  and  fraternal  orders  to  none  of 
which  he  belonged. 

This  life  so  noble  and  beneficent  was 
prolonged  a  quarter  of  a  century  beyond 
the  traditional  three-score  and  ten,  and 
then,  on  July  18,  1904,  at  his  residence  in 
Nice,  France,  Mr.  Spang  passed  away, 
mourned  in  the  foreign  land  where  he 
had  so  long  sojourned  and  doubly  mourn- 
ed in  his  native  country  and  his  own  city 
of  Pittsburgh.  All  felt  that  they  had  lost 
one  who  was  a  foremost  representative  of 
that  distinctively  public-spirited  class  of 
citizens  whose  private  interests  never 
preclude  active  participation  in  move- 
ments and  measures  that  concern  the 
general  good,  one  who  builded  and  lived 
for  the  time  to  come  and  had  left  an 
example  to  animate  future  generations. 

Charles  Frederick  Spang  was  the  last 
survivor  of  the  famous  Iron  Masters  of 
the  former  half  of  the  nineteenth  century. 
He  is  the  most  commanding  figure  in  an 
industrial  dynasty.  A  descendant  of 
ancestors  who  laid  enduring  foundations, 
he  reared  on  those  foundations  the  noble 
structure  of  a  mighty  industry  which  was 
largely  instrumental  in  giving  to  the  Iron 
City  her  proud  and  unassailable  pre- 
eminence and  which  caused  the  story  of 
the  life  and  work  of  this  noble  and  high- 
minded  manufacturer  to  become  part  of 
the  industrial  annals  of  the  city  of  Pitts- 
burgh and  the  Commonwealth  of  Penn- 
sylvania. 


SPANG,  Charles  H., 

Ironiaaster,  Financier. 

Charles  H.  Spang,  son  of  the  late 
Charles  F.  Spang,  of  Pittsburgh,  was 
born  in  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania.  He 
received  his  education  in  the  schools  of 
his  native  city,  later  attending  Burlington 
College,  of  Burlington,  New  Jersey.     In 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


1858  he  became  officially  connected  with 
the  firm  of  Spang,  Chalfant  &  Company, 
Incorporated,  which  succeeded  the  firm  of 
Spang  &  Company,  which  his  father 
founded.  He  was  actively  identified  with 
this  concern  for  many  years,  and  now 
serves  on  its  directorate.  Mr.  Spang  is 
also  a  director  of  the  Peoples  National 
Bank ;  Fayette  Coal  Company ;  Monon- 
gahela  Insurance  Company ;  Pittsburgh 
Junction  Railroad  Company ;  Dixmont 
Hospital  for  the  Insane ;  and  the  Alle- 
gheny Cemetery  Company.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Duquesne  and  Pittsburgh 
clubs  and  the  Pittsburgh  Athletic  Asso- 
ciation, of  Pittsburgh ;  also  the  Union 
League,  New  York  Athletic  and  New 
York  Yacht  clubs,  of  New  York.  In 
politics  Mr.  Spang  is  a  Republican. 


AMBLER,  Harry  Smith,  Jr., 

Ijaivyer,  Public  Official. 

Choosing  the  law  as  a  profession,  Mr. 
Ambler  was  a  trail  breaker  in  that  profes- 
sion in.  his  direct  family,  who,  tracing 
back  to  their  first  settlement  near  Lans- 
dale,  now  Montgomery  county,  prior  to 
the  year  1700  had  been  agriculturists  or 
skilled  craftsmen,  often  both.  But  if 
without  inherited  legal  traits,  he  had  a 
rich  inheritance  from  his  Quaker  ancestry 
who  bequeathed  him  their  good  blood, 
strong  mentality,  high  principles,  good 
judgment,  tact,  common  sense,  level 
headedness  and  untiring  energy.  On  that 
foundation  he  has  built  his  own  life  and 
in  his  sixteen  years  of  practice  in  Phil- 
adelphia and  Montgomery  county  courts 
he  has  won  honorable  distinction  as  a 
learned  and  upright  lawyer. 

Harry  S.  Ambler  Jr.  was  born  at  Abing- 
ton,  the  Montgomery  county  homestead, 
March  2,  1877,  son  of  Henry  S.  and  Mary 
(Slugg)  Ambler.  He  began  his  education 
in  the  public  schools,  prepared  for  college 
at   the   Abington    Friends    School,    then 


entered  the  law  school  ol:  the  University 
of  Pennsylvania,  whence  he  was  gradu- 
ated LL.  P>.,  class  of  '99.  He  was  admit- 
ted to  the  Philadelphia  bar,  and  has  been 
continuously  in  general  practice  until  the 
present  date.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Montgomery  county  bar,  and  has  a  large 
practice  in  the  county,  State  and  Federal 
courts  of  the  district.  He  is  devoted  to 
his  profession  and  believes  that  as  law 
is  the  principle  of  maintaining  justice  and 
equity  between  man  and  man,  that  the 
practice  of  the  laws  established  to  enforce 
those  principles  is  a  study  worthy  of  the 
most  exalted  minds.  He  is  solicitor  for 
Abington  township,  Abington  Memorial 
Hospital  and  as  an  active  trial  lawyer 
represents  several  corporations  in  defense 
of  negligence  cases  and  enjoys  a  large 
private  practice.  Mr.  Ambler  is  a 
member  of  the  various  County  and  State 
Bar  associations  ;  the  North  Hills  Country 
Club ;  is  a  Republican  in  politics  and 
affiliated  with  the  Abington  Presbyterian 
Church. 

He  married,  October  22,  1902,  May, 
daughter  of  Samuel  and  Anna  (McCon- 
nell)  Jones  and  has  Harry  S.,  born  April 
10,  1904;  Samuel  Jones,  November  27, 
1906;  Bruce,  born  September  18,  1915. 
Douglass,  born  January  30,  1910,  died 
September  6,  1910. 


MARKEL,  J.  Clyde,  M.  D., 

Ophthalmologist,  Hospital  Official. 

Among  those  Pittsburgh  physicians 
who  have  made  a  specialty  of  ophthal- 
mology is  Dr.  James  Clyde  Markel.  Em- 
manuel Markel,  grandfather  of  James 
Clyde  Markel,  was  a  representative  of  a 
family  of  German  origin  long  resident  in 
Eastern  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  Markel  mar- 
ried Margaret  Frey  and  spent  his  life  as 
a  farmer  and  blacksmith  in  York  county, 
Pennsylvania. 

Chester    Franklin,    son    of    Emmanuel 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


and  Margaret  (Frey)  Markel,  was  born 
November  13,  1853,  ^^'^  Shrewsbury,  York 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  educated 
in  schools  of  the  neighborhood.  After 
teaching  for  a  time  he  entered  the  College 
of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  of  Baltimore, 
graduating  in  1875  with  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Medicine.  He  then  engaged  in 
general  practice  in  Winterstown,  Penn- 
sylvania, removing  at  the  end  of  two 
years  to  Columbia,  Pennsylvania,  where 
he  has  since  resided,  having  retired  from 
active  practice  in  1912.  In  that  year  he 
became  president  of  the  Central  National 
Bank  of  Columbia,  of  which  he  had  been 
long  a  director,  and  he  also  holds  direc- 
torships in  a  number  of  financial  and 
industrial  enterprises  of  his  community. 
Dr.  Markel  owns  and  conducts  a  large 
drug  store  in  his  home  town.  He  is  a 
Democrat,  and  for  sixteen  years  occupied 
a  seat  in  the  council  of  Columbia.  He 
belongs  to  the  Pennsylvania  State  and 
York  County  Medical  associations,  the 
Order  of  Artisans  and  the  Heptasophs, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  church, 
in  which  for  a  number  of  years  he  served 
as  treasurer  and  deacon.  Dr.  Markel 
married,  in  February,  1876,  Zana,  daugh- 
ter of  Cornelius  S.  and  Rebecca  (Kline- 
felter) Beck,  of  Shrewsbury,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  their  children  are:  James 
Clyde,  mentioned  below ;  Maude,  wife  of 
Albert  A.  Becker,  of  Columbia,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  mother  of  two  children :  Elva, 
of  Columbia,  Pennsylvania;  Chester  F., 
of  Jacksonville,  Florida,  is  married  but 
has  no  children ;  and  Clarence  Beck,  of 
Columbia,  Pennsylvania. 

Dr.  James  Clyde  Markel,  son  of  Chester 
Franklin  and  Zana  (Beck)  Markel,  was 
born  December  17,  1877,  at  Winterstown, 
York  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  received 
his  education  in  schools  of  Columbia, 
Pennsylvania,  attending  its  high  school, 
from  which  he  graduated.  In  igoo  he  re- 
ceived from  Gettysburg  College  the  de- 


gree of  Bachelor  of  Science  and  later  that 
of  Master  of  Science.  Immediately  after 
graduating  he  entered  the  medical  depart- 
ment of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania 
and  in  1904  the  institution  conferred 
upon  him  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medi- 
cine. After  spending  fourteen  months  as 
interne  in  the  Germantown  Hospital, 
Philadelphia,  and  one  year  at  the  Wills 
Eye  Hospital,  Philadelphia,  Dr.  Markel 
came  in  1907  to  Pittsburgh,  and  entered 
into  practice  as  an  ophthalmologist.  In 
1912  he  associated  himself  with  Dr.  Wil- 
liam F.  Robeson,  maintaining  the  con- 
nection until  Dr.  Robeson's  death,  but 
has  since  practiced  alone.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  staff  of  the  Eye  and  Ear  Hos- 
pital and  of  that  of  the  Mercy  Hospital, 
also  holding  the  position  of  ophthal- 
mologist for  the  Western  Pennsylvania 
Institution  for  the  Blind.  Dr.  Markel  is 
a  fellow  of  the  American  College  of  Sur- 
geons and  a  member  of  the  Pittsburgh 
Ophthalmological  Society,  the  American 
Medical  Association,  the  Pennsylvania 
State  Medical  Association  and  the  Alle- 
gheny County  Medical  Society.  He  also 
belongs  to  the  Phi  Delta  Theta  frater- 
nity and  the  Alpha  Omega  Alpha,  an 
honorary  medical  fraternity. 

In  politics  Dr.  Markel  is  a  Democrat, 
but  the  demands  of  his  profession  allow 
him  to  give  no  more  attention  to  public 
affairs  than  is  required  of  every  con- 
scientious citizen.  He  is  a  member  of 
Trinity  Lutheran  Church. 


HUSSEY,  Christopher  Curtis, 

Iieading  Manufacturer. 

Christopher  Curtis,  son  of  Curtis  Grubb 
and  Rebecca  (Updegraff)  Hussey,  was 
born  October  23,  1840,  in  Pittsburgh,  and 
received  his  early  education  at  Travelli's 
school  at  Sewickley,  finishing  his  course 
at  Cleveland,  Ohio.  He  then  became  the 
business  associate  of  his  father,  first  in 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  firm  of  C.  G.  Hussey  &;  Company,  and 
later  in  that  of  Hussey,  Wells  &  Com- 
pany, becoming  in  the  course  of  time  chief 
manager  of  the  concern.  Pie  speedily 
gave  evidence  of  having  inherited  the 
great  business  ability  of  his  father,  and 
everything  indicated  that  a  bright  future 
was  opening  before  him. 

In  the  early  seventies  Mr.  Hussey 
organized  the  firm  of  Hussey,  Binns  & 
Company,  manufacturers  of  shovels,  his 
partner  being  Edw^ard  Binns,  his  brother- 
in-law.  The  enterprise  was  successful, 
largely  in  consequence  of  Mr.  Hussey's 
executive  and  administrative  ability,  and 
the  firm  built  up  a  flourishing  business. 
To  the  close  of  his  life  Mr.  Hussey  was 
president  of  the  company,  also  retaining 
his  connection  with  the  firm  of  Hussey 
Wells  &  Company.  He  was  likewise 
identified  with  several  local  concerns. 

As  a  citizen  Mr.  Hussey  was  intensely 
public-spirited,  never  refusing  the  support 
of  his  influence  and  means  to  any  project 
which,  in  his  judgment,  tended  to  advance 
the  welfare  of  Pittsburgh.  He  was  a  Re- 
publican in  politics,  but  always  steadily 
declined  to  accept  office,  even  when 
urgently  solicited  to  become  a  candidate 
for  Congress.  His  charities  were  numer- 
ous but  bestowed  in  the  quietest  manner 
possible.  His  only  club  was  the  Du- 
quesne,  and  he  belonged  to  no  fraternal 
orders.  He  was  a  member  and  vestry- 
man of  St.  Andrew's  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church,  in  the  work  of  which  he  took  an 
active  interest. 

The  personality  of  Mr.  Hussey  was  that 
of  a  man  of  great  vigor  of  moral  char- 
acter, inflexible  integrity  and  benevolence 
of  purpose  and  his  appearance  was  in 
harmony  with  the  high  ideals  inseparable 
from  the  possession  of  these  qualities.  He 
was  six  feet  in  height,  of  slender  frame, 
and  singular  distinction  of  bearing.  His 
patrician  features,  accentuated  by  beard 
and  moustache,  light  like  his  hair,  bore 


the  stamp  of  strength  and  refinement  and 
his  brown  eyes  were  at  once  penetrating 
and  thoughtful.  Gentle  and  courteous, 
yet  firm,  courageous  and  honest,  he  was 
both  aggressive  and  tactful,  adamant 
where  a  principle  was  involved  and  in 
friendship  unswervingly  loyal.  Loved  by 
many  and  respected  by  all,  he  was  a  true 
and  perfect  gentleman,  "without  fear  and 
without  reproach." 

Mr.  Hussey  married,  October  26,  1865, 
Harriet,  daughter  of  William  H.  and 
Susan  G.  (Haselton)  Byram,  who  were 
from  Maine.  The  following  children 
were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hussey: 
I.  Mabel  G.,  married  Dr.  Thomas  Turn- 
bull,  of  Pittsburgh ;  children  :  Thomas, 
Curtis,  Hussey,  Harriet  Byram,  Janet 
Duncan,  John  Gordon  and  Frederick  Wil- 
liam. 2.  Clara  Eliza,  married  A.  Lochner 
de  Villiers,  of  South  Africa.  3.  Curtis 
Grubb,  of  Pittsburgh,  formerly  connected 
with  Colonial  Steel  Company,  now  an 
official  of  East  Palestine  Rubber  Com- 
pany. 4.  William  Byram,  died  in  infancy. 
5.  John  UpdegralT,  married  Edmee  Cor- 
lies ;  children :  John  UpdegrafT  and  Pru- 
dence Byrd.  6.  Frederick  Byram,  of  New 
York,  married  Ethel  Dean,  of  San  Fran- 
cisco. Mrs.  Hussey,  a  thoughtful,  clever 
woman  of  culture  and  character,  takes  life 
with  a  gentle  seriousness  that  endears  her 
to  those  about  her  and  that  caused  her 
husband,  the  ruling  motive  of  whose  life 
was  love  for  his  wife  and  children,  to  find 
his  home  a  refuge  from  the  cares  of  busi- 
ness, a  place  where  he  enjoyed  the  com- 
panionship of  the  members  of  his  house- 
hold and  the  society  of  his  friends.  Mrs. 
Hussey  is  a  member  of  the  Twentieth 
Century  Club  of  Pittsburgh  and  the 
Adirondack  League  Club  of  New  York. 
In  her  widowhood  she  resides  in  the 
stately  old  Hussey  home  on  the  North 
Side,  the  residence  of  the  family  for  many 
years,  devoting  much  of  her  time  to  works 
of  charity  and  benevolence. 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Just  as  he  was  entering  early  middle 
life,  a  period  which  in  his  case  promised 
to  develop  into  splendid  maturity,  Mr. 
Hussey  was  stricken,  and  on  March  i, 
1S84,  passed  away,  in  Florida.  When  the 
sad  news  was  received  in  Pittsburgh  it 
was  felt  by  all  that  a  calamity  had  be- 
fallen the  city's  manufacturing  interests, 
and  that  the  business  world  had  sustained 
a  well-nigh  irreparable  loss. 

Mr.  Hussey  was  the  bearer  of  two 
names,  each  of  which,  at  periods  widely 
separated,  had  been  rendered  notable — 
Christopher,  that  of  the  brave  and  sturdy 
Englishman  who  crossed  the  sea  to  found 
a  home  in  the  New  World ;  and  Curtis, 
that  of  his  true  and  worthy  descendant, 
who  led  the  way  into  hitherto  untrodden 
fields  of  industry.  Christopher  Curtis,  of 
a  later  time,  able  and  aggressive  as  his 
ancestors,  added  lustre  to  their  united 
names,  and,  had  he  been  granted  greater 
length  of  days,  the  three  words,  Christo- 
pher Curtis  Hussey,  would  have  repre- 
sented talents  and  achievements  second 
to  none  in  the  history  of  the  industrial 
world. 


VINCENT,  James  Rankin,  M.  D., 

Hospital    Official,    Sanitationist. 

Dr.  James  Rankin  Vincent,  of  Pitts- 
burgh, was  a  man  distinguished  not  only 
as  a  member  of  the  medical  profession, 
but  also  as  a  leader  in  the  introduction 
and  promotion  of  measures  having  for 
their  object  the  furtherance  of  improved 
sanitary  conditions  both  in  his  home  city 
and  throughout  the  State  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. Dr.  Vincent  was  for  a  quarter  of 
a  century  a  resident  of  the  metropolis, 
and  for  many  years  stood  in  the  front 
rank  of  her  physicians  and  citizens. 

The  Vincent  family  was  founded  in 
America  at  an  early  date,  and  its  repre- 
sentatives, in  the  successive  generations, 
have  been  active  and  prominent  in  differ- 


ent professions  and  have  wielded  an  in- 
fluence for  good  in  their  communities. 
James  Vincent,  grandfather  of  James 
Rankin  Vincent,  was  a  farmer  living  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Harrisville,  Penn- 
sylvania. He  married  Charity  Gilmore 
and  they  were  the  parents  of  seven  sons 
and  three  daughters. 

George  Carothers,  son  of  James  and 
Charity  (Gilmore)  Vincent,  was  born 
April  4,  1813,  on  his  father's  farm,  and 
enjoyed  such  facilities  of  education  as  the 
neighborhood  schools  afforded.  In  the 
autumn  of  1S33,  ^t  the  solicitation 
of  friends,  he  visited  Belmont  county, 
Ohio,  and  later  in  the  year  entered 
Franklin  College,  New  Athens,  Ohio, 
graduating  in  1836.  Not  long  after  he  be- 
came a  student  in  the  Theological  Semi- 
nary of  the  Associate  Presbyterian 
church  at  Canonsburg,  Pennsylvania,  and 
on  the  completion  of  his  course  was  sent 
as  a  missionary  to  western  Illinois  and 
Iowa.  Early  in  the  summer  of  1841  he 
was  called  to  the  pastorate  of  the  First 
Associate  congregation  of  Washington, 
Iowa,  and  of  the  church  at  Grandview, 
Iowa,  which  he  had  established  as  the 
home  missionary  of  that  section.  In  No- 
vember, 1 841,  he  became  resident  pastor, 
in  doing  so  accepting  the  toils  and  hard- 
ships inseparable  at  that  time  from  such 
a  position.  In  addition  to  serving  his 
own  churches,  Mr.  Vincent  was  obliged 
to  travel  on  horseback  to  preaching  sta- 
tions distant  from  fifty  to  one  hundred 
miles ;  the  country  was  almost  destitute 
of  money,  and  for  months  he  could  scarce- 
ly find  the  means  of  paying  postage.  But 
food  was  plenty,  and  his  parishioners 
were  eagerly  and  gratefully  appreciative 
of  his  services.  In  the  autumn  of  1847, 
being  forced  by  failing  health  to  seek  a 
change  of  climate,  Mr.  Vincent  accepted 
a  call  to  the  First  Associate  congregation 
of  Mercer,  Pennsylvania.  During  his 
pastorate  there  he  was  principal  of  the 
8qo 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Mercer  Academy,  an  institution  which, 
consolidated  with  the  Greenville  Acad- 
emy, became  the  nucleus  of  Westminster 
College  which  was  founded  in  1852  at 
New  Wilmington,  Mr.  Vincent  being 
chosen  vice-president.  At  this  time  he 
founded  the  "Westminster  Herald,"  a 
weekly  religious  newspaper  which  was 
afterward  merged  with  "The  Preacher," 
a  similar  paper  published  in  Pittsburgh. 
The  new  paper  took  the  name  of  "The 
United  Presbyterian,"  Mr.  Vincent  be- 
coming an  associate  editor. 

During  the  period  of  Mr.  Vincent's 
connection  with  Westminster  College, 
many  gifted  men  and  women  were 
graduated  and  sent  forth  into  the  minis- 
try, law  and  medicine,  and  also  into  the 
profession  of  teaching,  and  the  influence 
of  the  institution  was  felt  far  and  near. 
In  1871  he  resigned  his  professorship  and 
accepted  a  call  to  the  First  United  Pres- 
liyterian  Church  of  Brookville,  where  he 
labored  successfully  for  a  number  of 
years.  In  1877,  without  his  own  knowl- 
edge, he  was  elected  to  the  presidency  of 
Franklin  College,  his  alma  mater,  at  New 
Athens,  Ohio,  and  he  deemed  it  his  duty 
to  accept  the  office.  Under  his  adminis- 
tration the  faculty  was  enlarged,  a  new 
college  building  was  erected  and  a  mul- 
titude of  young  people  prepared  for  a 
career  of  usefulness.  As  early  as  1864 
Mr.  Vincent  had  received  from  Washing- 
ton College  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Di- 
vinity, and  in  1884  Franklin  College  con- 
ferred upon  him  that  of  Doctor  of  Laws. 
In  the  same  year  Dr.  Vincent  resigned 
the  presidency  and  accepted  a  call  to  the 
pastorate  of  the  First  United  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Latrobe,  Pennsylvania,  with 
which  was  associated  the  neighboring 
congregation  of  Fairmount. 

Dr.  Vincent  married  (first)  September 
10,  1838,  Margaret  Cowden,  daughter  of 
Dr.  John  Walker,  of  New  Athens,  Ohio, 
and   three  children  were  born   to  them : 


John  Walker,  Alvan  Stuart,  and  Robert 
Milton.  In  June,  1844,  Mrs.  Vincent  died, 
and  in  July,  1845,  Dr.  Vincent  married 
(second)  Mrs.  Martha  (Hanna)  Carna- 
han,  the  widowed  daughter  of  James 
Hanna,  of  Cadiz,  Ohio.  The  children  of 
this  marriage  were :  James  Hanna,  Wil- 
liam Hanna,  Mary  Margaret,  Charity 
Jane,  James  Rankin,  mentioned  below; 
and  Anna  Martha. 

In  the  summer  of  1889  Dr.  Vincent  re- 
signed his  pastorate  at  Latrobe  and  re- 
moved to  Allegheny,  where  he  passed 
away,  on  October  16,  of  the  same  year. 
The  death  of  his  widow  occurred  at  the 
same  place,  September  25,  1899.  The 
Rev.  J.  B.  McMichael,  president  of  Mon- 
mouth College,  who  had  been  privileged 
as  a  student  to  enjoy  Dr.  Vincent's  in- 
structions, wrote  of  him:  "Fifty  years 
in  the  ministerial  armor,  a  true,  knightly 
soldier  of  the  cross." 

James  Rankin,  son  of  George  Carothers 
and  Martha  (Hanna)  (Carnahan)  Vin- 
cent, was  born  July  28,  1855,  at  New  Wil- 
mington, Pennsylvania,  and  received  his 
preparatory  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  place  and  of  Brook- 
ville, whither  his  parents  removed  when 
he  was  about  fifteen  years  old.  When  his 
father  became  president  of  Franklin  Col- 
lege, James  was  enrolled  among  the 
students  of  that  institution,  taking  a  four 
years'  course.  He  then  spent  three  years 
at  the  Medical  College  of  Ohio,  at  Cin- 
cinnati, graduating  in  1884  with  the  de- 
gree of  Doctor  of  Medicine.  In  IMarch 
of  the  same  year  Dr.  Vincent  began  prac- 
tice at  Wilkinsburg,  Pennsylvania,  where 
he  was  soon  in  possession  of  a  profitable 
clientele.  In  1891  he  removed  to  East 
Liberty,  Pittsburgh,  where  he  practiced 
uninterruptedly  until  his  death,  October 
23,  1915,  meeting  with  exceptional  suc- 
cess, the  result  of  intense  application, 
thorough  and  comprehensive  knowledge, 
rare  skill  in  reducing  theory  to  practice 
891 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


and  a  real  love  for  the  profession  of  his 
choice.  Dr.  Vincent  was  one  of  the  lead- 
ers in  the  establishment  of  the  Pittsburgh 
Hospital,  and  until  his  death  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  staff.  He  belonged  to  the 
American  Medical  Association,  the  Penn- 
sylvania State  Medical  Society  and  the 
Allegheny  County  Medical  Society. 

One  of  the  most  notable  episodes  of 
Dr.  Vincent's  professional  career  was  his 
work  as  a  member  of  the  Filtration  Com- 
mission. This  was  a  body  of  twelve  men 
appointed  by  the  mayor  to  investigate 
the  water  supply  of  the  city  of  Pittsburgh, 
and  to  devise  some  means  of  getting  rid 
of  the  impurities  which  had  long  been  a 
menace  to  the  health  of  the  inhabitants. 
Dr.  Vincent's  part  in  the  work  was  an 
important  one  and  it  was  largely  owing 
to  his  influence  that  the  labors  of  the 
commission  resulted  in  the  establishment 
of  the  present  filtration  plant.  An  excep- 
tional degree  of  public  spirit  has  always 
been  one  of  Dr.  Vincent's  dominant  char- 
acteristics and  in  1901  this  found  expres- 
sion in  an  action  fraught  with  blessing  to 
the  community.  In  that  year  he  prepared 
and  drafted  a  bill  which  he  introduced  into 
the  Legislature,  and  which  was  trium- 
phantly passed.  This  was  called  the  Pure 
Milk  Bill,  and  since  it  became  a  law,  has 
been  in  successful  operation,  resulting  in 
a  marked  decrease  in  mortality  among 
infants  and  children. 

The  principles  of  the  Republican  party 
always  found  in  Dr.  Vincent  a  staunch 
supporter,  albeit  his  professional  obliga- 
tions have  prevented  him  from  taking  an 
active  part  in  politics.  He  affiliated  v^ith 
Fraternal  Lodge,  No.  321,  Free  and  Ac- 
cepted Masons,  also  belonged  to  Pitts- 
burgh Chapter,  Duquesne  Commandery 
and  Syria  Shrine.  He  was  a  member  or 
the  United  Presbyterian  Church. 

In  Dr.  Vincent's  personality  the  attri- 
butes  of  the    student    and   the   man    of 


action  were  harmoniously  blended.  Deep- 
ly read  in  his  profession,  he  was  a  bold 
but  never  rash  practitioner.  Force  of 
character  and  promptness  in  execution 
were  combined  with  delicate  insight  and 
gentleness  of  manner.  His  appearance 
was  in  accordance  with  his  character.  To 
use  a  familiar  phrase,  "he  looked  the  man 
he  was."  All  Pittsburgh  knew  him  and 
respected  him  and  many  loved  him,  for 
he  was  a  true  friend  and  an  inspirer  of 
friendship  in  others. 

Dr.  Vincent  married,  December  16, 
1886,  in  Wilkinsburg,  Pennsylvania,  his 
father,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Vincent  officiating, 
Fannie,  daughter  of  the  late  Wilson  and 
Anna  (McNeary)  McLean.  Mrs.  Vin- 
cent was  born  in  Washington  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  brought  up  in  Wilkins- 
burg. Before  her  marriage  she  was  a 
successful  teacher  in  the  schools  of  that 
city.  A  woman  of  character  and  culture, 
uniting  fine  executive  ability  with  charm 
of  manner  and  much  sweetness  of  dis- 
position, she  was  admirably  fitted  to  be 
the  wife  of  such  a  man  as  her  husband, 
one  in  whom  strong  domestic  affections 
were  conjoined  with  unusual  vigor  of  in- 
tellect and  uncommon  breadth  of  view. 

Dr.  Vincent's  own  record  and  that  of 
his  father,  placed  side  by  side,  present 
a  striking  example  of  the  force  of  heredity 
— a  father  and  son  animated  by  the  same 
spirit — love  of  their  fellow-men.  The 
father,  as  a  devoted  minister  of  the  Gospel 
and  a  high-minded  instructor,  inspired  to 
lives  of  usefulness  and  honor  men  and 
women  of  two  generations.  The  son,  by 
his  patient,  progressive  and  unwearied 
labors  for  healing  and  enlightenment  in 
the  realm  of  the  physical  and  his  brave 
and  victorious  efforts  in  the  cause  of 
public  health  and  the  saving  of  human 
life  has  accomplished  a  work  which  has 
lived  after  him  and  made  the  world  better 
than  he  found  it. 
892 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


LYON,  Walter, 

La-wyer,  State  Official. 

Walter  Lyon,  of  Sewickley,  former 
Lieutenant-Governor  of  Pennsylvania  and 
at  various  times  the  incumbent  of  other 
offices  in  the  gift  of  his  fellow-citizens,  is 
a  man  whose  political  life  has  been  inter- 
woven with  his  professional  career.  A 
number  of  years  ago  Mr.  Lyon  withdrew 
from  active  participation  in  public  afifairs 
and  has  since  devoted  himself  exclusively 
to  his  duties  as  a  leader  of  the  Allegheny 
county  bar. 

The  original  home  of  the  Lyon  family 
was  in  Scotland  and  from  that  country  a 
branch  was  transplanted  first  to  Ireland 
and  then  to  the  American  colonies.  The 
arms  of  the  Lyon  family  of  Pennsylvania 
are :  Argent,  a  lion  rampant  azure. 
Crest — A  lion's  head  erased  proper. 

John  Lyon,  founder  of  the  American 
branch  of  the  family,  was  a  son  of  Wil- 
liam Lyon,  and  in  1763  emigrated  from 
Enniskillen,  County  Fermanagh,  province 
of  Ulster,  Ireland,  to  the  province  of 
Pennsylvania,  settling  in  Cumberland 
county,  now  Milford  township,  Juniata 
county.  The  warrant  for  his  tract  of 
land,  consisting  of  two  hundred  and  sev- 
enty-three acres  and  situated  about  two 
miles  west  of  Mifflintown,  is  dated  Sep- 
tember 18,  1766.  In  1773  the  Proprie- 
taries granted  to  John  Lyon  et  al.  twenty 
acres  of  land  for  the  use  of  the  Presby- 
terian church  of  Tuscarora.  John  Lyon 
married,  in  Ireland,  Margaret  Armstrong, 
sister  of  Colonel  John  Armstrong,  one  of 
the  prominent  and  patriotic  Pennsylvan- 
ians  of  provincial  and  Revolutionary 
times.  Colonel  Armstrong  married  John 
Lyon's  sister  Rebecca,  who  had  emigrated 
with  her  brother  to  Pennsylvania.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Lyon  were  the  parents  of  the 
following  children,  all  born  in  Ireland: 
William,  born  March  17,  1729,  married 
Alice  Armstrong;  James,  married  one  of 


the  name  of  Martin ;  Samuel,  married 
Eleanor  Blaine;  John,  mentioned  below; 
Mary,  born  in  1748,  married  Benjamin 
Lyon ;  Frances,  born  in  1752,  married 
William  Graham,  and  died  May  4,  1839, 
leaving  descendants;  Margaret  Alice, 
married  Thomas  Anderson,  and  lived  in 
Ireland ;  and  Agnes.  John  Lyon,  the 
father,  died  in  1780,  and  his  widow,  who 
was  a  woman  of  remarkable  intelligence 
and  fine  conversational  powers,  passed 
away  about  1793. 

(II)  John  (2),  son  of  John  (ij  and 
Margaret  (Armstrong)  Lyon,  inherited 
by  the  terms  of  his  father's  will,  dated 
December  13,  1779,  one  half  of  the  home- 
stead, his  brother  Samuel  coming  into 
possession  of  the  other  half.  John  Lyon 
resided  on  this  land  until  June  i,  1797, 
when  he  conveyed  it  to  Stephen  Dougle- 
man,  who  in  turn  conveyed  it  to  the  Ster- 
rett  family.  In  1896  it  was  in  possession 
of  the  late  Hon.  James  P.  Sterrett  and  his 
brother.  Dr.  John  P.  Sterrett,  father  of 
James  Ralston  Sterrett,  of  Pittsburgh. 
After  selling  his  land,  John  Lyon  re- 
moved to  Butler  county,  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  passed  the  remainder  of  his  life. 
He  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Captain 
Thomas  Harris,  and  their  children  were: 
Thomas  Harris,  mentioned  below ;  Wil- 
liam, John,  James,  Margaret,  Mary  Cath- 
arine, and  Nancy.  The  death  of  Mr.  Lyon 
occurred  about  1820. 

(HI)  Thomas  Harris,  son  of  John  (2) 
and  Mary  (Harris)  Lyon,  was  of  Butler 
county. 

(IV)  Henry  Baldwin,  son  of  Thomas 
Harris  Lyon,  was  a  school  teacher,  and 
married  Mary  Ann  White. 

(V)  Walter,  son  of  Henry  Baldwin  and 
Mary  Ann  (White)  Lyon,  was  born 
April  27,  1853.  in  Shaler  township,  Alle- 
gheny county,  Pennsylvania,  and  received 
his  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Pittsburgh  and  at  the  Wakeam  Academy. 
He  was  then  for  five  vears  engaged  in 


1893 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


teaching,  pursuing,  meanwhile  the  study 
of  the  law  in  the  office  of  Samuel  A.  Pur- 
viance,  and  in  January,  1877,  was  admit- 
ted to  the  bar  of  Allegheny  county.  He 
has  ever  since  been  engaged  in  success- 
ful practice  in  Pittsburgh.  For  a  number 
of  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
Lyon,  Hunter  &  Burke,  but  since  the 
death  of  Mr.  Hunter,  and  Mr.  Burke  go- 
ing to  Congress  some  few  years  since,  has 
practiced  alone. 

Early  in  his  career  Mr.  Lyon  became 
active  in  the  sphere  of  politics.  In  1889 
he  was  appointed  United  States  Attorney 
for  the  Western  District  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  retained  the  office  until  1893,  when 
he  resigned,  having  been  elected  State 
Senator  to  fill  the  unexpired  term  of  John 
N.  Neeb.  In  1894,  when  Daniel  Hartman 
Hastings  was  elected  Governor  of  Penn- 
sylvania, Mr.  Lyon,  who  had  been  nomi- 
nated on  the  same  ticket  for  Lieutenant- 
Governor,  was  also  the  choice  of  the 
people.  That  choice  was  justified  during 
the  period  of  his  incumbency,  and  when 
in  January,  1899,  he  retired  from  office, 
he  left  a  record  highly  satisfactory  to  all 
good  citizens.  Since  that  time  Mr.  Lyon 
has  accepted  no  political  honors,  nor  has 
he  taken  any  active  part  in  politics,  his 
attention  having  been  exclusively  devoted 
to  his  large  law  practice.  He  belongs  to 
the  Duquesne  and  Union  clubs,  and  the 
Allegheny  Country  Club  of  Sewickley 
Heights,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian church.  His  tall,  erect  figure  and 
gracious,  genial  manner  tell  of  the  man 
of  fine  old  stock  and  worthy  family  tra- 
ditions. 

Mr.  Lyon  married,  in  1878,  Charlotte 
Wible,  whose  ancestral  record  is  ap- 
pended to  this  biography,  and  they  are 
the  parents  of  the  following  children : 
Lotta,  wife  of  Charles  L.  Monroe,  of 
Pittsburgh,  has  five  children ;  Edwin, 
born  in  1881,  married  Betty  B.  McKown, 
and  has  two  children ;    Walter,  born    in 


1883,  studied  at  the  University  of  Michi- 
gan, and  is  with  his  father  in  Pittsburgh ; 
Stanley,  born  in  1888,  studied  at  Yale 
University,  he  is  a  lawyer  in  Pittsburgh, 
and  married  Jane  Hood;  Ethel,  educated 
at  Miss  Marshall's  school,  Philadelphia; 
and  Jack  Wible,  born  in  1897,  attending 
Allegheny  Preparatory  School,  and  later 
will  go  to  Yale  University.  By  his  mar- 
riage Mr.  Lyon  gained  the  life  compan- 
ionship of  a  charming  and  congenial 
woman  who  combines  with  many  social 
gifts  the  essential  qualities  of  a  home- 
maker. 

The  career  of  Mr.  Lyon  comprises  thus 
far  a  period  of  nearly  four  decades.  He 
has  helped  to  uphold  the  prestige  of  the 
Pennsylvania  bar,  and  at  the  call  of  his 
fellow-citizens  has  ably  and  worthily 
served  the  old  commonwealth. 

(The  Wible  Line). 

August  Weible  (as  the  name  was  then 
spelled),  the  first  ancestor  of  record,  was 
born  in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania, 
and  married  Katharine  Snyder,  aunt  of 
Simon  Snyder,  third  Governor  of  Penn- 
sylvania. 

(II)  Andrew,  son  of  August  and  Kath- 
arine (Snyder)  Weible,  was  born  in  1767, 
in  Lancaster  county,  whence  he  migrated 
in  1790  to  East  Liberty,  Pittsburgh. 
While  there  he  drew  the  pickets  to  build 
the  old  block  house  on  the  Point.  Later 
he  removed  to  Shaler  township,  Alle- 
gheny county,  where  he  took  up  a  large 
tract  of  land  on  which  he  made  his  home 
for  the  remainder  of  his  life.  Andrew 
Weible  married  Mary  Smith,  and  their 
children  were :  John,  Adam,  George. 
Andrew;  Harrison,  mentioned  below; 
William,  James,  Susan,  Katharine,  Sarah, 
Mary  Ann,  and  Elizabeth. 

(III)  Harrison,  son  of  Andrew  and 
Mary  (Smith)  Weible,  was  born  in  1818, 
in  Shaler  township,  Allegheny  county, 
and  received  his  education  in  the  public 


1894 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


schools.  He  passed  his  life  as  a  farmer 
in  his  native  township,  residing  on  a  por- 
tion of  the  homestead,  and  in  politics  was 
first  a  Whig  and  later  a  Republican,  as 
became  one  named  in  honor  of  Wil- 
liam Henry  Harrison.  Andrew  Wible 
(Weible)  was  a  personal  friend  of  Gen- 
eral Harrison  and  named  his  son  for  him 
and  so  the  son  had  the  honor  of  casting 
his  first  vote  for  the  man  for  whom  he 
was  named,  the  hero  of  Tippecanoe, 
giving  his  last  for  Benjamin  Harrison, 
the  hero's  grandson.  Mr.  Wible  (Weible) 
was  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 
He  married  Rachel,  daughter  of  William 
and  Jean  (McClean)  Wilson. 

(IV)  Charlotte,  daughter  of  Harrison 
and  Rachel  (Wilson)  Wible,  is  now  the 
wife  of  Walter  Lyon. 


WHYEL,  George, 

Manufacturer,  Public  Official. 

George  Whyel,  president  and  general 
manager  of  the  Consolidated  Coke  Com- 
pany, at  Uniontown,  Fayette  county, 
Pennsylvania,  is  one  of  those  enterpris- 
ing, energetic  men,  whom  obstacles  seem 
only  to  spur  to  renewed  effort,  and  who 
have  thus  found  their  way  from  humble 
beginnings  to  the  topmost  rung  of  the 
ladder  of  business  and  social  standing. 
He  is  of  German  descent,  and  combines 
with  American  progressiveness  that  trait 
of  calm  deliberation  so  characteristic  of 
the  German  race. 

Matthias  Whyel,  his  father,  was  born 
in  Germany,  and  died  in  Pennsylvania  in 
1889.  He  emigrated  to  the  United  States 
in  the  year  1851,  and  at  once  proceeded 
to  Pittsburgh,  where  he  made  his  home. 
He  found  employment  as  a  laborer  in  the 
coal  mines,  and  for  a  period  of  a  quarter 
of  a  century  was  in  the  uninterrupted 
employ  of  the  Castle  Shannon  Coal  Com- 
pany. Being  of  a  thrifty  and  economical 
nature,   he,   by   means   of  this   laborious 


work,  laid  the  foundations  of  a  suljstan- 
lial  fortune.  He  was  held  in  high  esteem 
by  all  who  knew  him,  and  was  regarded 
as  a  valuable  citizen.  He  married  Chris- 
tiana Mink,  also  born  in  Germany,  and 
they  became  the  parents  of  eight  children, 
of  whom  four  are  living  at  the  present 
day. 

George  Whyel  was  born  in  Pittsburgh, 
Allegheny  county,  Pennsylvania,  Febru- 
ary 4,  1863,  and  may  truly  be  said  to  be 
the  sole  builder  of  his  present  magnifi- 
cent fortune.  He  was  obliged  to  com- 
mence the  battle  of  life  at  an  early  age, 
and  without  the  advantages  given  by  a 
fine  education.  The  disadvantages,  how- 
ever, seemed  but  to  steel  the  lad  to  en- 
dure hardships,  and  perhaps  he  was 
rendered  more  efficient  by  this  very  lack. 
He  was  but  a  child  when  he  commenced 
working  in  the  mines,  and  it  was  not  long 
before  he  was  doing  a  full  day's  work, 
and  spent  his  evenings  at  a  night  school, 
and  thus  equipped  himself  for  a  rise  in 
the  social  and  business  world.  So  faith- 
ful was  he  in  the  discharge  of  the  various 
duties  which  fell  to  his  share  that,  in 
1884,  he  was  appointed  superintendent 
of  mines ;  in  1890  became  mining  engi- 
neer, serving  in  this  capacity  till  1900. 
In  1893  he  commenced  to  operate  mines 
on  his  own  account,  and  continued  this 
until  1910.  In  1905  he  organized  the 
Monroe  Coal  Company;  in  1906,  the  Util- 
ity Coal  Company ;  in  1909.  the  Sterling 
Coal  and  Coke  Company.  Then  he  and 
his  brother  operated  the  Whyel  Coal 
Company,  and  the  former  companies  were 
consolidated  under  the  name  of  the  Con- 
solidated Connellsville  Coke  Company, 
and  Mr.  Whyel  was  appointed  to  his  pres- 
ent office.  He  built  the  Calumet  plant, 
now  owned  by  the  H.  C.  Frick  Coal  and 
Coke  Company,  and  a  number  of  other 
coke  plants.  The  mines  with  which  Mr. 
W^hyel  has  been  so  extensively  connected 
are  situated  in  Westmoreland  and  Fay- 
895 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ette  counties.  He  has  also  been  success- 
fully identified  with  a  number  of  other 
important  business  enterprises.  His  de- 
votion to  his  business  interests  does  not, 
however,  prevent  him  from  taking  an  ac- 
tive part  in  the  social  life  of  the  city,  in 
which  he  is  always  a  welcome  personage. 
He  is  publicspirited  to  a  degree,  and  al- 
ways gives  his  warm  and  substantial  sup- 
port to  any  project  for  the  public  welfare 
in  any  direction.  He  has  never  been  very 
desirous  to  hold  public  office,  but  yielding 
to  popular  demand,  he  accepted  the  office 
of  auditor  of  Fayette  county,  and  served 
faithfully  from  1893  to  1896,  having  been 
elected  by  the  Republican  party,  to  which 
he  has  always  given  his  political  allegi- 
ance. He  has  also  served  as  a  member 
of  the  common  council  of  Uniontown  for 
five  years.  He  is  a  Thirty-second  degree 
Mason,  a  member  of  the  Ancient  Arabic 
Order  of  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine. 

Mr.  Whyel  married  Emma  V.  Real, 
whose  ancestors  were  among  the  early 
settlers  of  Fayette  county,  and  they  have 
five  children. 


CROW,  William  E., 

Eminent  Lavryer  and  Prominent  Citizen. 

The  Crow  family,  represented  in  the 
present  generation  by  William  E.  Crow, 
actively  and  prominently  identified  with 
the  varied  interests  of  Uniontown,  and  an 
active  factor  in  political  circles,  is  of 
either  Dutch  or  German  origin,  and  traces 
back  to  an  early  date,  the  members  in 
the  various  generations  residing  in  the 
State  of  Pennsylvania,  and  they  have  al- 
ways taken  an  active  interest  in  com- 
munity affairs. 

Michael  Crow,  the  first  of  the  line  here- 
in mentioned,  was,  in  all  probability, 
born  in  the  State  of  Maryland,  from 
whence  he  removed  to  Fayette  county, 
Pennsylvania,  in  early  life,  settling  in 
Springhill  township,  where  he  erected  a 


grist  mill  on  Georges  creek,  which  he 
operated  until  his  death,  aged  nearly  one 
hundred  years.  His  wife,  who  was 
known  as  "Granny  Crow,"  bore  him  nine 
children,  among  whom  was  Isaac, 
through  whom  the  line  of  descent  is  car- 
ried. He  was  born  at  Crow's  Mill,  Ger- 
man township,  Fayette  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, July  31, 1799,  died  February  3,  1889. 
He  continued  the  operation  of  the  mill 
established  by  his  father  for  thirty-one 
years,  and  for  the  remainder  of  his  active 
years  operated  a  farm  in  his  native  town- 
ship. His  wife,  Nancy  (Kendall)  Crow, 
born  in  Springhill  township  in  1800,  died 
June  6,  1872,  bore  him  ten  children  among 
whom  was  Josiah  Brown,  through  whom 
the  line  of  descent  is  traced.  He  was 
born  at  Crow's  Mill,  German  township, 
Fayette  county,  Pennsylvania,  October 
10,  1841.  After  his  father's  death  he  pur- 
chased the  homestead  farm,  which  he 
cultivated  until  1905,  when  he  moved  to 
Uniontown,  erected  a  modern  house  on 
Ben  Lamond  avenue,  and  is  now  enjoying 
a  well  earned  period  of  rest.  He  is  a 
Presbyterian  in  religion,  and  a  Repub- 
lican in  politics.  His  wife,  Elizabeth 
(McCombs)  Crow,  whom  he  married 
February  8,  1866,  was  born  in  German 
township,  Fayette  county,  Pennsylvania, 
December  29,  1841,  daughter  of  John  Mc- 
Combs. They  were  the  parents  of  eight 
children,  the  eldest  son,  William  Evans, 
of  whom  further. 

William  Evans  Crow  was  born  in  Ger- 
man township,  Fayette  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, March  10,  1870.  His  elementary 
education  was  obtained  in  the  district 
public  school,  and  this  was  supplemented 
by  attendance  at  the  Pennsylvania  State 
Normal  School  at  California,  from  which 
institution  he  was  graduated.  He  began 
his  active  career  by  accepting  a  position 
as  teacher  in  the  school  in  German  town- 
ship, in  which  capacity  he  served  for  two 
terms,  discharging  the  duties  to  the  satis- 


1896 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


faction    of   all    concerned.      He    resigned 
from  school  teaching  in  order  to  devote 
his  time  and  attention  to  journalism,  and 
from  1891  to  1894  was  a  reporter  on  Pitts- 
burgh papers.  He  then  became  local  editor 
of  the   Uniontown  "Standard"  and  con- 
tinued  as    such    until    that    paper    was 
merged  with  "The  News,"  and  he  then 
became   local  editor  of  the  consolidated 
"News-Standard,"    one    of    the    leading 
publications  of  that  day.     In  the  mean- 
time he  took  up  the  study  of  law  in  the 
firm  of   Boyd  &  Umbel,  of   Uniontown, 
and  in  December,  1895,  was  admitted  to 
the  Fayette  county  bar.    In  the  following 
month  he  was  appointed  assistant  district 
attorney  of  Fayette  county  under  Ira  E. 
Partridge,  the  then  district  attorney,  and 
in  November,   1898,  was  elected  district 
attorney,  his  three  years'  term  of  service 
being  noted  for  efficiency,  capability  and 
thoroughness  in  every  detail.     After  his 
retirement  from  office,  he  again  resumed 
the  practice  of  his  profession,  which  he 
has    continued   up    to   the   present   time, 
having  a  large  practice  in  State  and  Fed- 
eral courts.     The  success  he  has  attained 
in  his  profession  is  the  result  of  indomit- 
able energy,  perseverance  and  patience, 
coupled  with  the  rare  ability  of  saying  in 
a  convincing  way  the  right  thing  at  the 
right  time,  and  he  is  one  of  the  ablest 
representatives  of  the  bar  in  his  native 
State.     Mr.  Crow  is  not  learned  in  law 
alone,  for  he  has  given  considerable  at- 
tention to  political  afifairs  and  to  subjects 
of  great  import,   keeping  in  touch  with 
new  thoughts  and  new  ideas.    His  allegi- 
ance is  given   to  the   Republican   party. 
In  1895  he  became  secretary  of  the  county 
central     committee,     and     in     1899     was 
elected  chairman,  serving  three  years  in 
that  capacity.     In   1902  he  was  the  can- 
didate of  his  party  for  the  State  Senate, 
but  through   an   unfortunate   rupture   in 
the  party  was  defeated.     In  1906  he  was 
again  the  candidate  for  the  Senate  and 


was  elected,  serving  with  distinction,  and 
at  the  expiration  of  his  term  was  re- 
elected, and  served  as  president  pro  tem- 
pore of  the  Senate  during  the  session  of 
191 1.  He  has  frequently  represented  his 
district  at  the  county  and  State  conven- 
tions, and  was  chairman  of  the  Repub- 
lican State  conventions  of  1909  and  1910. 
He  is  an  attendant  at  the  services  of  the 
Presbyterian  church.  He  is  a  thirty- 
second  degree  Mason,  a  member  of  the 
Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of 
Elks,  a  member  of  the  Uniontown  Coun- 
try Club,  Duquesne  Club,  Young  Men's 
Tariff  Club  and  the  Athletic  Club,  the 
last  three  of  Pittsburgh. 

Mr.  Crow  married,  March  24,  1897, 
Adelaide,  daughter  of  James  P.  Curry,  of 
North  Union  township,  Fayette  county, 
Pennsylvania.  Children :  Evans  Curry 
Crow,  born  April  19,  1898;  William  J. 
Crow,  born  January  22,  1902;  Warren 
Emlyn  Crow,  born  September  25,  191 1. 


BRENEMAN,  Joseph  P., 

Leading  Contracting  Builder. 

From  the  time  of  the  arrival  in  the 
I'ennsylvania  colony  of  Melchior  Brene- 
man,  whose  depth  of  religious  conviction 
and  attendant  persecution  had  compelled 
him  to  leave  his  home  in  Switzerland,  his 
native  land,  the  fortunes  and  prominence 
of  the  family  he  founded  have  steadily 
increased.  The  interval  of  nearly  two 
hundred  years  between  the  time  of  the 
arrival  of  the  immigrant  Melchior  and  the 
present  has  witnessed  the  members  of  his 
family  in  important  public  position,  active 
in  the  founding  of  the  institutions  of 
progress  and  advancement,  and  in  ever}^ 
way  discharging  to  the  full  the  duties  and 
responsibilities  inseparable  from  patriot- 
ism and  citizenship. 

Joseph  P.  Breneman,  of  Lancaster, 
Pennsylvania,  is  a  present  day  represen- 
tative of  the  line,  son  of  Captain  Henry 


1897 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


N.  Breneman,  grandson  of  Henry  Brene- 
man,  and  great-grandson  of  Rev.  Henry 
Breneman,  a  minister  of  the  Old  Menno- 
nite  Church,  descendant  of  Melchior 
Breneman.  Melchior  Breneman  was 
granted  a  tract  of  seven  hundred  acres 
of  land  south  of  Lancaster,  lying  on  both 
sides  of  Mill  creek,  by  the  Penns,  and 
subsequently  added  to  this  property  until 
his  holdings  were  large  and  valuable. 

Rev.  Henry  Breneman,  a  member  of 
the  ministry  of  the  old  Mennonite  church, 
great-grandfather  of  Joseph  P.  Breneman, 
was  born  September  8,  1764,  and  died 
in  October,  1847.  In  1792  he  moved  from 
Manor  township,  Lancaster  county,  pur^^ 
chasing  one  hundred  and  forty-seven 
acres  in  Strasburg  township  from  Henry 
Bowman.  This  he  farmed  during  the 
remainder  of  his  life,  continuing  his  ac- 
tivity in  the  Mennonite  Church,  and 
erected  a  dwelling  and  other  necessary 
buildings.  He  married  Anna  Musser, 
born  October  25,  1772,  died  April  3,  1857, 
daughter  of  Benjamin  Musser,  and  had 
six  children,  one  of  his  sons,  Henry,  of 
whom  further. 

Henry,  son  of  Rev.  Henry  and  Anna 
(Musser)  Breneman,  was  born  in  Stras- 
burg township,  Lancaster  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, January  25,  1795,  and  died  May 
10,  1859.  In  1833  he  purchased  a  farm  of 
two  hundred  and  three  acres  from  his 
father,  its  cultivation  his  lifelong  occu- 
pation, and  in  addition  to  this  he  oper- 
ated a  mill  thereon  with  good  success. 
He  married,  June  1,  1819,  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  (Herr) 
Nefif,  born  July  8,  1796,  died  November 
8,  1870,  and  had  issue :  Anna,  married 
Daniel  Herr;  Elizabeth,  married  Henry 
Musser;  Susan,  married  Amaziah  Herr; 
and  Henry  N.,  of  whom  further. 

Captain  Henry  N.  Breneman,  son  of 
Henry  and  Elizabeth  (Neff)  Breneman, 
was  born  on  the  old  Breneman  homestead 
in  Strasburg  township,  Lancaster  county, 


January  13,  1830,  and  died  in  Lancaster, 
Pennsylvania,  October  10,  1901.  His 
youthful  education  was  the  result  of 
training  received  in  the  public  schools  and 
in  Lititz  Academy,  and  when  he  attain- 
ed his  majority  he  learned  the  trade  of 
miller  in  his  father's  mill  at  Camargo. 
He  subsequently  engaged  in  mercantile 
dealings  at  Camargo,  then,  after  a  period 
of  farming,  became  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  Herr,  Breneman  &  Company,  in  1886 
entering  upon  the  manufacture  of  agri- 
cultural implements,  continuing  this  line, 
in  connection  with  farming  operations, 
for  many  years.  In  May,  1894,  he  brought 
his  family  to  Lancaster,  and  in  this  city, 
in  partnership  with  his  son,  Joseph  P., 
under  the  firm  name  of  H.  N.  Breneman 
&  Son,  started  in  the  field  of  contracting 
and  building,  success  attending  their 
efforts  almost  from  the  beginning  of  busi- 
ness. Lancaster  and  the  surrounding 
country  was  the  field  they  covered,  and 
the  scope  of  their  business  widened  far 
beyond  the  planned  boundaries,  expan- 
sion exceedingly  gratifying  to  the  mem- 
bers of  the  firm.  Captain  Breneman  held 
influential  positions  in  other  circles  than 
those  of  business,  and  as  a  Republican 
rendered  valuable  service  to  his  party, 
in  State  and  national  as  well  as  in  local 
affairs.  He  served  his  township  as  as- 
sessor, for  fifteen  years  as  justice  of  the 
peace,  and  for  a  number  of  years  as  school 
director,  in  1875  being  elected  to  the  office 
of  sheriff  of  Lancaster  county  and  filling 
that  position  for  three  years.  As  a  public 
servant  he  was  efficient  and  scrupulous, 
discharging  to  the  full  any  trust  reposed 
in  him,  however  arduous  or  distasteful. 

He  gained  his  military  rank  in  the 
Union  service  in  the  War  between  the 
States,  serving  for  a  time  as  lieutenant  in 
Company  G,  22nd  Regiment  Pennsyl- 
vania Volunteer  Infantry,  resigning  his 
commission  because  of  illness  and  broken 
health.  Immediately  after  the  battle  of 
898 


^^  (yB^^^^^e^. 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Gettysburg,  however,  he  recruited  a  com- 
pany for  the  three  months  service,  which 
became  Company  B,  15th  Regiment 
Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  and  of  this 
organization  he  was  elected  captain. 
Captam  Henry  N.  Breneman  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  order,  holding  the 
Knight  Templar  degree ;  his  lodge  was 
Washington,  No.  156,  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons,  of  Quarryville.  Henry  H.  Brene- 
man married,  March  17,  1858,  Anna  M. 
Potts,  of  Strasburg,  Pennsylvania,  and 
had  issue  :  Winona  S. ;  Park  P. ;  Anna 
M.;  Joseph  P.,  of  whom  further;  Eliza- 
beth B. ;  Maude  M. ;  Herbert  N. ;  and 
Lida. 

Joseph  P.,  son  of  Captain  Henry  N. 
and  Anna  M.  (Potts)  Breneman,  was 
born  on  the  homestead  in  Strasburg 
township,  Lancaster  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, April  2,  1865.  He  was  educated 
in  the  district  schools  of  the  place  of  his 
birth  and  in  the  State  Normal  School  at 
Lockhaven,  Pennsylvania,  where  his 
studies  were  completed.  He  then  learned 
the  trade  of  carpenter,  and  after  finishing 
his  apprenticeship  traveled  for  about  six 
years  as  a  journeyman  in  his  calling,  upon 
his  return  to  Lancaster  becoming  asso- 
ciated with  his  father  in  business,  after- 
ward becoming  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
H.  N.  Breneman  &  Son,  general  building 
contractors.  As  previously  stated,  the 
career  of  this  firm  has  been  one  of  con- 
tinuous success,  its  operations  extending 
over  a  wide  area,  and  among  the  more 
noticeable  of  the  buildings  Tected  in 
Lancaster  under  its  direction  are  the 
silk  mills,  the  Reformed  Church,  the 
Wheatland  Hotel,  the  Conestoga  Build- 
ing, the  Slaymaker  Building,  and  the 
Colonial  Theatre.  Since  his  father's 
death  Mr.  Breneman  has  continued  oper- 
ations independently,  and  is  the  occupant 
of  leading  place  in  his  business,  the  repu- 
tation of  twenty  years  an  impressive 
recommendation. 


Mr.  Breneman  is  a  thirty-second  degree 
Mason,  Ancient  Accepted  Scottish  Rite, 
and  is  a  past  master  of  Washington 
Lodge,  No.  156,  Free  and  Accepted  Ma- 
sons, also  belonging  to  Lancaster  Chap- 
ter, Royal  Arch  Masons,  Lancaster 
Lodge  of  Perfection,  and  Harrisburg 
Consistory. 

He  married  Miss  Hollinger,  daughter 
of  Amos  Hollinger,  a  prominent  tanner 
of  Lancaster,  and  is  the  father  of  Harry, 
Elizabeth,  and  Anna  N. 


ROLAND,  Oliver,  M.  D., 

Physician,    Estimable    Citizen. 

In  the  summer  of  1727  the  ship  "Wil- 
liam and  Sarah"  sailed  from  Rotterdam 
with  ninety  families  of  Palatinates,  arriv- 
ing in  Philadelphia  in  September  fi  that 
year.  The  head  of  one  of  these  families, 
John  Diffenderfer,  loaded  his  family  and 
household  goods  on  a  wagon,  started 
westward,  and  in  1728  halted  his  weary 
team  beneath  an  immense  oak  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  present  borough  of  New 
Holland,  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania. 
There  he  erected  a  cabin  and  in  the  course 
of  a  few  years  quite  a  number  of  other 
German  families  located  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, among  them  one  named  Roland, 
whose  head  came  from  Germany  in  1733, 
purchasing  land  from  the  Penns  and  set- 
tling at  New  Holland,  in  Earl  township. 
In  1754  Jacob  Roland  was  collector  of 
taxes;  in  1757  there  were  three  Rolands 
on  the  tax  list ;  and  in  1766  Jonathan  Ro- 
land was  township  constable.  In  1775 
Jonathan  Roland  was  chosen  committee- 
man, and  in  1832  Brevet  Major  John  F. 
Roland,  son  of  Henry  Roland,  entered 
the  United  States  Military  Academy  at 
West  Point,  later  serving  with  distinction 
in  the  Seminole  War  and  in  the  war  with 
Mexico,  earning  his  major's  brevet  on  the 
hard-fought  field  of  Monterey.  The  lands 
originally    owned    by    Rolands    are    still 


PEN— Vol  VI— 5 


1899 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


partly  held  in  the  family  name,  many 
generations  of  the  family  having  con- 
tinued to  reside  in  the  locality  first  known 
as  Saeue  Schwamm,  then  as  Earltown, 
now  as  New  Holland,  an  incorporated 
borough.  Dr.  Oliver  Roland,  for  many 
years  an  eminent  physician,  was  a  de- 
scendant of  the  Palatinate  family,  son  of 
Henry  Augustus  Roland  and  grandson  of 
Henry  Roland  and  his  wife,  Margaret 
Seeger.  Henry  Roland  had  five  sons : 
Henry  Augustus  and  Major  John  F.,  of 
previous  mention;  Cornelius,  was  presi- 
dent of  the  New  Holland  Bank;  William, 
and  Jonathan  H.,  and  two  daughters,  Cath- 
arine and  Julia.  John  F.  was  a  graduate 
of  West  Point,  class  of  1836,  a  distin- 
guished officer  of  the  United  States  army, 
died  September  28,  1852,  at  the  early  age 
of  thirty-five  years,  but  leaving  behind 
him  a  deservedly  hierh  reputation,  gained 
in  his  country's  service  on  the  frontier 
and  in  the  Mexican  War.  Henry  Roland 
was  a  man  of  prominence  in  New  Hol- 
land, a  farmer  in  calling,  his  wife,  Mar- 
garet Seeger,  also  a  descendant  of  an 
early  German  family. 

Henry  Augustus,  son  of  Henry  and 
Margaret  (Seeger)  Roland,  was  born  in 
New  Holland,  Lancaster  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, November  26,  1819,  and  there 
died  June  21,  1901.  The  district  schools 
of  the  locality  in  which  he  lived  and 
Beck's  Boys  Academy  at  Lititz,  Pennsyl- 
vania, supplied  him  with  excellent  educa- 
tional opportunities,  and  after  the  com- 
pletion of  his  studies  he  began  farming, 
in  which  he  prospered.  In  after  years  he 
devoted  himself  less  closely  to  farming 
and  became  active  in  many  of  the  newer 
business  enterprises  of  the  region,  pro- 
moting them  with  his  means  and  support- 
ing them  with  his  services,  frequently  in 
official  capacity.  His  part  in  the  organ- 
ization of  the  New  Holland  Bank  was  an 
important  one,  and  although  he  did  not 
become  an  official  thereof,  subscribed  for 


a  large  share  of  its  capital  stock  and  be- 
came one  of  its  principal  stockholders. 
For  more  than  fifty  years  he  was  a  direc- 
tor of  the  New  Holland  Turnpike  Com- 
pany, during  that  time  having  in  charge 
its  control  as  manager.  Mr.  Roland 
strongly  advocated  the  incorporation  of 
New  Holland  as  a  borough,  and  used  his 
influence  with  tireless  energy  to  that  end, 
New  Holland  receiving  its  borough  char- 
ter in  1895,  while  his  earnest  efforts 
hastened  the  organization  of  the  New 
Holland  Water  Company.  Henry  Au- 
gustus Roland  was  shrewd  and  sagacious 
in  business  dealings,  but  at  the  same  time 
alert,  forceful,  and  upright,  and  in  all 
things  relating  to  the  place  of  his  resi- 
dence was  unselfishly  and  usefully  pub- 
lic-spirited. He  married,  in  1849,  Jane 
Whann,  daughter  of  Philip  and  Margaret 
(Whann)  Heyl,  of  Philadelphia,  and  had 
issue :  Oliver,  of  whom  further ;  William 
H.,  an  attorney  of  Lancaster,  Pennsyl- 
vania ;  and  Frederick  A.,  a  bank  cashier 
of  Reading,  Pennsylvania. 

Dr.  Oliver  Roland,  son  of  Henry  Au- 
gustus and  Jane  Whann  (Heyl)  Roland, 
was  born  in  New  Holland,  Pennsylvania, 
December  8,  1850,  and  after  preparatory 
education  entered  Princeton  University, 
where  he  received  both  the  Bachelor's  and 
Master's  degrees.  After  his  graduation 
in  1872  he  began  the  study  of  medicine 
under  the  tutelage  of  the  late  Dr.  John 
L.  Atlee,  and  three  years  after  his  gradu- 
ation from  Princeton  he  received  his  Doc- 
tor of  Medicine  degree  from  the  Medical 
Department  of  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. For  eighteen  months  following  the 
completion  of  his  studies  at  the  University 
he  was  resident  physician  at  the  Episcopal 
Hospital,  of  Philadelphia,  in  1877  estab- 
lishing in  active  professional  practice,  his 
first  office  on  East  King  street,  between 
Lime  and  Shippen  streets,  while  for  the 
last  twenty  years  of  his  professional  life 
in  Lancaster  his  office  was  located  at  No. 


1900 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


211  East  King  street.  In  connection  with 
a  private  practice  of  large  dimensions, 
which  occupied  much  of  his  time,  he 
maintained  many  professional  relations 
of  responsibility  and  importance.  For 
several  terms  he  was  visiting  physician 
at  the  county  hospital ;  was  chief  of  the 
medical  staff  of  St.  Joseph's  Hospital  for 
several  years ;  for  thirty  years  medical 
director  of  the  Home  for  Friendless  Chil- 
dren, of  which  institution  he  was  at  one 
time  a  trustee ;  was  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Health  of  Lancaster  for  many 
years ;  was  a  consulting  physician  of  the 
General  Hospital ;  and  was  also  medical 
examiner  for  a  number  of  life  insurance 
companies.  Dr.  Roland  was  twice  elected 
to  the  presidency  of  the  Lancaster  County 
Medical  Society,  also  belonging  to  the 
State  and  American  Medical  A.ssocia- 
tions,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Lancaster 
Tuberculosis  Society.  He  ranked  with 
the  ablest  exponents  of  his  profession  in 
knowledge  and  breadth  of  experience,  and 
Lancaster  has  known  few  physicians 
more  generally  beloved  than  he.  Dr.  Ro- 
land's connection  with  charitable  and 
beneficent  organizations  gave  him  an  in- 
sight into  fields  where  followers  of  his 
profession  could  have  labored  for  years 
and  still  have  left  much  work  undone, 
and  among  those  oppressed  by  poverty 
and  misfortune  he  performed  works  that, 
in  benefit  to  his  and  future  generations, 
were  unequalled  by  his  ministrations 
among  his  clientele  better  favored  in  ma- 
terial things.  His  medical  skill  and 
knowledge  were  to  him  a  means  to  a  noble 
end,  and  he  used  the  great  powers  at  his 
command  with  charity,  discretion,  and 
usefulness. 

Dr.  Roland  was  a  trustee  of  the  Stevens 
Industrial  School  and  of  the  A.  Herr 
Smith  Memorial  Library,  and  his  most 
important  business  interests  were  as  a 
member  of  the  boards  of  directors  of  the 
Lancaster  Trust  Company,  the  New  Hol- 


land Turnpike  Company,  and  the  Amer- 
ican Mechanics'  Building  and  Loan  Asso- 
ciation. He  fraternized  with  the  Masonic 
order,  holding  the  fourteenth  degree,  An- 
cient Accepted  Scottish  Rite,  his  lodge, 
Lamberton,  No.  476,  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons;  his  chapter,  No.  43,  Royal  Arch 
Masons.  He  also  belonged  to  the  Royal 
Arcanum ;  Lancaster  Lodge,  Benevolent 
and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  and  the 
Lancaster  Chamber  of  Commerce. 

In  any  gathering  of  men  of  his  profes- 
sion. Dr.  Roland  was  regarded  with  de- 
ference and  respect,  and  his  speech  in 
such  a  body,  always  convincing  and 
authoritative,  received  close  attention, 
while  on  social  occasions  he  was  no  less 
a  central  figure.  Broad  culture,  wide  ex- 
perience, and  considerable  travel  made 
his  contributions  to  general  conversation 
interesting  and  entertaining,  and  he  was 
liked  by  all.  Qualities  of  the  sternest 
manhood  composed  his  nature,  and  his 
death,  occurring  November  20,  1910, 
checked  a  source  of  benefit  to  mankind, 
and  took  from  his  many  friends  one  sin- 
cerely regarded. 

Dr.  Oliver  Roland  married,  June  13, 
1882,  Harriet,  daughter  of  Benjamin  and 
Sarah  (Overly)  Hunsecker,  her  father  a 
farmer  and  miller  of  Lancaster  county, 
Pennsylvania.  She  and  a  daughter.  Helen 
Hevl,  survive  him. 


CARSON,  Cornelius, 

Retired  Merchant,  Public  Official. 

About  the  year  1800  three  brothers  by 
the  name  of  Carson  left  their  native  land, 
Ireland,  and  came  to  the  United  States, 
seeking  an  opportunity  to  better  their 
fortune.  After  arriving  in  this  country, 
they  soon  separated,  one  of  them  finding 
a  location  in  Fallowfield  township,  Wash- 
ington county,  Pennsylvania.  The  land 
on  which  he  settled  is  still  owned  in  the 
family.  This  record  follows  the  fortunes 
901 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  a  member  of  the  third  generation  in 
Pennsylvania — Cornelius,  son  of  John  S. 
and  Margaret  (Jones)  Carson  and  a 
grandson  of  the  emigrant.  John  S.  Car- 
son died  September  24,  1882;  his  wife 
December  16,  1870.  Both  were  members 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church ;  the 
former  a  Democrat  and  a  man  of  high 
standing  in  his  community. 

Cornelius  Carson  was  born  in  Fallow- 
field  township,  Washington  county, 
Pennsylvania,  December  29,  1848.  The 
son  of  a  farmer,  his  early  life  was  spent 
in  those  tasks  belonging  to  a  boy's  work 
on  a  farm  and  in  attendance  at  the  public 
school.  Later  he  attended  Messenger 
Academy,  and  the  school  now  known  as 
California  State  Normal.  His  father, 
John  S.  Carson,  was  actively  interested  in 
educational  matters,  serving  for  thirty 
years  on  the  school  board,  therefore,  it 
was  but  natural  that  after  educating  his 
son,  he  should  give  him  an  opportunity 
to  teach.  For  two  winter  terms  the  young 
man  taught  in  the  public  school  of  Fal- 
lowfield  township,  working  on  the  home 
farm,  the  remaining  months  of  the  year. 
He  continued  at  the  farm  until  1881, 
when  he  located  at  Monongahela  City, 
Pennsylvania,  and  there  engaged  in  the 
lumber  business,  as  member  of  the  firm 
Yohe,  Carson  &  Company,  the  firm  also 
operating  a  planing  mill.  He  continued 
with  the  firm  of  Yohe,  Carson  &  Com- 
pany (now  Yohe  Brothers)  for  one  year, 
then  for  three  years  was  engaged  in 
business  in  Monongahela  City  as  furni- 
ture dealer  and  undertaker.  After  dis- 
posing of  his  interests  in  that  business 
he  established  a  retail  grocery  and  for 
nine  years  was  successfully  engaged  in 
that  line.  At  the  end  of  that  period  he 
retired  from  active  business,  but  still  con- 
tinues his  residence  at  Monongahela 
City.  His  life  has  been  an  active  success- 
ful one  and  not  lived  selfishly  with  only 
a  regard  for  his  own  interests.     He  has 


ever  been  mindful  of  his  duties  as  a  good 
citizen  and  borne  his  full  share  in  local 
public  affairs — a  Democrat  in  politics 
and  always  living  in  strongly  Republican 
localities,  he  has  been  so  highly  regarded 
even  by  political  opponents  that  in  all  his 
campaigns  he  polled  enough  votes  from 
the  opposition  party  as  to  secure  an  elec- 
tion. 

He  served  as  a  member  of  election 
boards  about  twenty-five  years ;  as  school 
director  several  years ;  member  of  the  city 
council ;  mayor  of  Monongahela  City  and 
in  November,  1912,  as  the  regular  Demo- 
cratic nominee  was  elected  to  the  State 
Legislature.  His  official  life  has  been  one 
of  honorable  effort  in  behalf  of  the  best 
interests  of  his  constituents  and  his  recent 
election  is  a  just  appreciation  of  his 
worth,  also  an  evidence  of  the  high  es- 
teem in  which  he  is  held  by  the  voters  of 
his  district,  regardless  of  party  affiliation. 

He  married,  October  30.  1873,  Sarah 
Jane,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Sarah 
(Sphor)  Beazell,  of  Washington  county 
Children :  Laura  I.,  now  Mrs.  Charles 
A.  Hayden,  of  Allegheny  county,  Penn- 
sylvania; Margaret,  deceased;  .Sarah  B., 
married  Thomas  Anson,  of  Monongahela 
City ;  Van  Curtis,  deceased ;  Emma  J., 
deceased ;  Mary  J.,  deceased ;  Cornelius 
C^eorge,  deceased;  Isaac  W".,  of  Monon- 
gahela City,  and  Joseph  B.,  of  Monon- 
gahela City.  The  mother  of  these  chil- 
dren died  July  16,  1906.  Both  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Carson  were  active  members  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  he  a  member 
of  the  board  of  stewards  for  twenty  years, 
a  class  leader  and  superintendent  of  the 
Sunday  school.  Although  not  actively 
engaged  in  business,  Mr.  Carson  is  not 
superannuated,  but  is  one  of  the  active, 
vigorous  men  of  his  city  and  as  busily 
employed  as  of  yore,  having  only  changed 
his  form  of  activity  from  private  to  more 
public  interests.  His  forthcoming  ser- 
vice as  a  State  legislator  will  be  given 


1902 


lyy, 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


with  due  regard  to  the  welfare  of  the  en- 
tire State  as  viewed  by  him  from  a  Demo- 
cratic standpoint,  but  not  from  that  of  a 
partisan.  He  is  always  mindful  of  the 
opinions  of  others,  conceding  to  every 
man  the  same  liberty  of  thought  and 
action  that  he  demands  for  himself  in  all 
matters  religious,  political  or  private. 


FREDERICK,  Jonas  H., 

Prominent   Silk  Manufacturer. 

Honored  and  respected  by  all,  there 
are  few  men  in  Emaus  who  occupy  a  more 
enviable  position  than  Jonas  H.  Frederick 
in  industrial  circles,  not  alone  on  account 
of  the  success  he  has  achieved,  but  also 
on  account  of  the  honorable,  straight- 
forward business  policy  he  has  ever  fol- 
lowed. He  possesses  untiring  energy,  is 
quick  of  perception,  forms  his  plans  read- 
ily and  is  determined  in  their  execution, 
and  his  close  application  to  business  and 
his  excellent  management  have  brought 
to  him  the  high  degree  of  prosperity 
which  is  his  at  the  present  time  (1915). 
He  has  clearly  demonstrated  the  truth 
of  the  saying  that  success  is  not  the  re- 
sult of  genius  alone,  but  the  outcome  of 
a  clear  judgment  and  experience. 

The  Frederick  family  has  been  repre- 
sented in  Bucks  county,  Pennsylvania, 
for  several  centuries,  the  first  of  the  name 
of  whom  we  have  definite  information 
having  been  John  Frederick,  who  is  re- 
corded as  having  been  a  taxable  citizen 
of  Rockhill  township,  in  1779,  and  his 
name  appears  in  the  recorded  tax  lists 
of  1781,  1782,  1784,  1785,  1787.  He  made 
his  last  will  and  testament  in  January, 
1808,  and  he  died  at  a  very  advanced 
age.  He  was  the  father  of  six  children : 
Henry ;  Barbara,  who  became  the  wife 
of  John  Rinker ;  Michael,  of  whom  fur- 
ther; George;  John;  Catharine,  who  be- 
came the  wife  of  Ludwick  Wile. 


Michael  Frederick,  son  of  John  Fred- 
erick, was  born  October  27,  1769,  died 
January  13,  1849,  in  the  eightieth  year  of 
his  age.  He  was  appointed  administrator 
of  his  father's  estate.  He  learned  the 
trade  of  weaver,  which  he  followed  in 
conjunction  with  the  occupation  of  farm- 
ing, his  property  being  in  the  vicinity  of 
Three  Mile  Run,  in  Rockhill  township. 
He  married  Catharine  Stump,  born  Jan- 
uary 15,  1764,  died  July  31,  1849,  in  the 
eighty-sixth  year  of  her  age.  They  were 
the  parents  of  live  children :  John ;  Jo- 
seph, of  whom  further;  Thomas;  Cath- 
arine, who  became  the  wife  of  Casper 
Johnson  ;  and  a  daughter  who  became  the 
wife  of  a  Mr.  Hilbert.  The  remains  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frederick  were  interred  in 
the  churchyard  of  Tohickon  Church,  in 
Bucks  county. 

Joseph  Frederick,  son  of  Michael  and 
Catharine  (Stump)  Frederick,  was  born 
in  Rockhill  township,  and  there  spent  his 
entire  lifetime,  his  death  occurring  in 
1833,  in  early  manhood.  He  was  a  weaver 
by  trade  and  followed  that  occupation 
throughout  his  active  career.  He  mar- 
ried Mary  Shipe,  who  survived  him  many 
years.  They  were  the  parents  of  six  chil- 
dren :  Elias  ;  James  ;  Lydia,  who  became 
the  wife  of  Lewis  Jones  ;  Amos  ;  Daniel : 
Jonas,  of  whom  further. 

Jonas  Frederick,  son  of  Joseph  and 
Mary  (Shipe)  Frederick,  was  born  Sep- 
tember 20,  1828.  He  was  only  five  years 
old  when  his  father  died,  and  therefore 
was  early  thrown  upon  his  own  resources, 
which  fact  strengthened  his  character  and 
made  him  self-reliant  and  enterprising. 
He  devoted  his  attention  to  the  tilling  of 
the  soil  and  to  the  trades  of  shoemaker 
and  iron  worker,  for  a  period  of  two  dec- 
ades being  an  employee  of  the  Donaldson 
Iron  Works,  at  Emaus,  where  he  resided, 
being  one  of  the  respected  and  esteemed 
citizens  of  that  place.     He  is  a  member 

903 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  the  Lutheran  church.  He  married, 
June  i6,  1850,  Mary  Ann,  daughter  ot 
WiUiam  and  Kate  (Gruber)  Morder  (also 
spelled  Madder),  a  native  of  Baden,  Ger- 
many. Thirteen  children  were  bcrn  to 
them,  as  follows:  Sarah,  widow  of  O.  S. 
Reinhart;  William,  died  in  early  life; 
Alice,  who  became  the  wife  of  Jacob 
Brinker;  Wilson  C,  a  resident  of  Allen- 
town  ;  Milton,  a  resident  of  Emaus ; 
Emma,  deceased,  wife  of  Allen  Dillinger; 
Kate,  became  the  wife  of  Obediah  Miller, 
of  Elizabeth,  New  Jersey;  Martha,  who 
became  the  wife  of  Mahlon  Antrim,  of 
Emaus;  Watson,  deceased;  Minnie,  who 
became  the  wife  of  Horace  Wennig,  of 
Emaus ;  James,  deceased ;  Cora,  who  be- 
came the  wife  of  Charles  Miller;  Jonas 
H.,  of  whom  further. 

Jonas  H.  Frederick,  son  of  Jonas  and 
Mary  Ann  (Morder)  Frederick,  was  born 
at  Limeport,  Lehigh  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, January  5,  1875.  He  was  reared 
upon  a  farm,  the  out-door  life  giving  him 
a  robust  constitution  and  great  strength 
both  of  body  and  mind,  and  his  education 
was  acquired  in  the  public  schools  of  his 
native  place  and  in  the  American  Com- 
mercial College,  at  AUentown,  from 
which  latter  institution  he  was  graduated 
in  the  class  of  1896.  He  then  served  an 
apprenticeship  at  the  trades  of  weaver 
and  warper  in  the  Keystone  Silk  Mill, 
thoroughly  mastering  every  detail  of  the 
business  so  that  in  due  course  of  time  he 
was  qualified  to  engage  in  the  same  line 
of  work  on  his  own  account.  In  1905  he 
established  the  Central  Silk  Company  at 
Siegfried,  Pennsylvania,  which  he  con- 
ducted successfully,  and  in  1908  he  built 
the  silk  mill  on  Ridge  street,  Emaus, 
which  plant  gives  employment  to  more 
than  sixty  people.  In  1910  he  purchased 
the  Bath  Silk  Mill,  and  formed  the  Bath 
Silk  Company,  which  gives  employment 
to  about  eighty  people,  and  in   1913,  in 


company  with  other  business  men,  he 
purchased  the  Keystone  Silk  Mills,  at 
Emaus,  which  is  now  known  and  trades 
as  the  Emaus  Silk  Company,  Inc.,  which 
gives  employment  to  upwards  of  two 
hundred  people,  Mr.  Frederick  being 
chosen  as  the  treasurer  and  general  man- 
ager of  the  company.  In  1912  a  silk 
throwing  mill  was  established  at  Perka- 
sie,  Pennsylvania,  which  is  known  as  the 
Perkasie  Silk  Company,  and  which  gives 
employment  to  about  seventy-five  people. 
The  above  statement  of  facts  demon- 
strates that  Mr.  Frederick  leads  an  active 
life,  a  life  of  usefulness,  and  his  efforts 
have  also  contributed  to  the  building  up 
of  Emaus  and  vicinity,  in  the  welfare  of 
which  he  takes  a  keen  interest.  He  is  a 
member  of  St.  John's  Lutheran  Church, 
and  also  holds  membership  in  the  follow- 
ing organizations :  Jordan  Lodge,  No. 
673,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  of  AUen- 
town ;  Mystic  Star  Lodge,  No.  73,  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  also 
Emaus  Encampment,  No.  15,  of  the  same 
order,  and  Washington  Camp,  No.  398, 
Patriotic  Order  Sons  of  America,  of 
Emaus. 

Mr.  Frederick  married,  October  9,  1898, 
Quinnie  I.,  daughter  of  Edwin  and  Ella 
(Heinley)  F"rantz,  of  Fogelsville,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  granddaughter,  on  the  ma- 
ternal side,  of  John  and  Helena  (Kline) 
Heinley.  Three  children  have  been  born 
to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frederick:  Raymond, 
born  March  i,  1899,  who  was  burned  to 
death  at  the  age  of  eighteen  months  ;  Ker- 
mit  Frantz,  born  July  5,  1908;  Armstrong 
Jonas,  born  April  7,  1910.  The  house  in 
which  the  family  reside  was  erected  by 
Mr.  Frederick  in  1914,  located  at  the 
southeast  corner  of  Third  and  Ridge 
streets,  Emaus,  and  is  one  of  the  finest 
in  that  locality,  thoroughly  equipped  with 
everything  needful  for  the  comfort  and 
convenience  of  its  inmates. 


1904 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


MACK,  John  Sanford,  M.  D., 

Veteran  of  Spanish-American  AVar. 

Dr.  John  S.  Mack,  who  is  successfully 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  in 
Slatington,  occupies  an  enviable  position 
among  his  professional  brethren  in  Le- 
high county,  his  skill  and  ability  winning 
him  a  high  reputation.  He  was  born  May 
6,  1870,  son  of  John  Charles  and  Sarah 
A.  (Remaby)  Mack,  natives  of  Lehigh 
county,  and  representatives  of  the  oldest 
settlers.  John  C.  Mack  was  a  son  of 
Ahaha  and  Elizabeth  (Grave)  Mack,  and 
his  wife  was  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Laurine  (Wert)  Remaby,  the  former 
named  having  been  a  son  of  George  Rem- 
aby, a  native  of  Lehigh  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, but  of  English  descent,  and  the 
latter  named  a  daughter  of  John  C.  Wert, 
who  was  of  German  descent. 

Dr.  John  S.  Mack  spent  his  early  life 
in  his  native  town,  Slatington,  attended 
the  public  schools,  the  Philadelphia  Col- 
lege of  Pharmacy,  from  which  he  gradu- 
ated in  1889,  and  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania, graduating  from  the  Medical  De- 
partment in  the  class  of  1892.  Upon  the 
completion  of  his  studies,  he  began  prac- 
tice at  Slatington,  and  the  liberal  patron- 
age he  now  receives  attests  to  his  skill  and 
ability  in  the  diagnosis  and  treatment  of 
disease,  and  indicates  the  confidence  and 
trust  reposed  in  him  by  the  public.  For 
^he  past  ten  years  he  has  served  as  sur- 
geon for  the  Lehigh  Valley  Railroad 
Company,  and  during  the  Spanish-Ameri- 
can War  he  served  as  assistant  surgeon 
of  the  United  States  army,  under  Colonel 
Pettit,  in  the  Fourth  Immune  Regiment. 
He  has  served  as  school  director  in  his 
native  town,  and  at  the  present  time 
(1913)  is  chief  burgess  of  Slatington,  an 
office  he  has  capably  filled  for  the  past 
five  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Lehigh 
County     Medical      Society ;     Slatington 


Lodge,  No.  440,  Free  and  Accepted  Ma- 
sons ;  Slatingfton  Chapter,  No.  292,  Royal 
Arch  Masons ;  Allen  Council,  Royal  and 
Select  Masters,  of  Allentown  ;  Allen  Com- 
mandery,  No.  20,  Knights  Templar, 
Caldwell  Consistory,  thirty-second  de- 
gree; Irene  Temple,  Nobles  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine,  of  Wilkes-Barre;  Knights 
of  the  Red  Cross  of  Constantine,  Supreme 
Council,  thirty-third  degree;  Benevolent 
and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  of  Allen- 
town  ;  Fraternal  Order  of  Eagles ;  Junior 
Order  of  American  Mechanics ;  Patriotic 
Sons  of  America ;  Foresters  of  America ; 
Modern  Woodmen  of  America;  Knights 
of  Pythias;  Sons  of  Veterans  and  others. 
Dr.  Mack  is  a  member  of  the  Dutch  Re- 
formed church,  and  a  staunch  Republican 
in  politics,  and  is  honest  and  upright  in 
all  the  relations  of  life. 

Dr.  Mack  married,  January  31,  1889, 
Catherine  A.  Williams,  daughter  of  Evan 
J.  and  Ellen  (Williams)  Williams.  Chil- 
dren :  Maud  G.,  graduate  of  the  West 
Chester  Normal  School,  now  teaching 
school  at  Jacksonville,  Florida ;  and 
Helen  C,  attending  high  school. 


YEAKEL,  James  Milton, 

Manufacturer,  Pnblic  Official. 

From  birth  until  the  present  day,  Mr. 
Yeakel  has  been  continuously  a  resident 
of  Bethlehem,  Pennsylvania,  a  city  of 
which  he  is  now  (1914)  chief  executive 
educator  in  her  schools,  acquiring  a  trade 
and  following  it  within  her  borders,  be- 
coming an  employer  and  thus  contribut- 
ing to  the  general  prosperity,  then  accept- 
ing her  call  to  the  head  of  government ; 
the  title  of  "native  son"  of  Bethlehem  can 
be  supplemented  by  that  of  dutiful  son. 
James  Milton  Yeakel  is  a  son  of  Peter  and 
Marguerite  Yeakel,  both  of  German  birth, 
the  former  born  in  Bavaria,  the  latter  in 


1905 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Wurttemberg.  Peter  Yeakel  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1830  and  followed  farm- 
ing until  his  death. 

James  Milton  Yeakel  was  born  in 
Bethlehem,  March  28,  i860.  He  attended 
public  schools  until  thirteen  years  of  age 
then  became  a  pupil  of  Professor  Ambrose 
Rondthaler's  private  school.  He  began 
active  business  life  on  the  farm,  then, 
deciding  upon  a  trade,  apprenticed  him- 
i-elf  to  Henry  S.  Sellers,  who  taught  him 
the  wheelwright's  trade.  He  served  three 
and  a  half  years  as  apprentice,  then  con- 
tinued a  journeyman  for  six  and  a  half 
years  more.  In  1890  he  became  a  member 
of  the  firm  of  Fatzinger  &  Yeakel,  carriage 
and  wagon  builders.  After  ten  success- 
ful years  Mr.  Fatzinger  died,  and  was 
succeeded  as  sole  owner  by  Mr.  Yeakel. 
who  purchased  his  interest  and  still  con- 
tinues the  business  at  No.  313-315  North 
Linden  street,  Bethlehem,  well  establish- 
ed and  prosperous. 

Politically  a  Democrat,  Mr.  Yeakel 
since  1890  has  served  eleven  years  as 
councilman,  three  times  elected  by  the 
people  and  once  by  appointment.  He  was 
a  capable,  active  and  useful  member, 
faithful  to  every  trust,  and  displaying  a 
devotion  to  the  public  mterest  that  so 
impressed  the  voting  community  that  on 
November  4,  1913,  he  was  elected  chief 
burgess  of  Bethlehem,  a  city  normally 
Republican.  His  term  expires  January  i, 
1918.  As  chief  magistrate  he  is  fulfilling 
the  expectations  of  his  friends  and  is  add- 
ing to  the  reputation  he  already  enjoys 
as  faithful  public  ofificial.  Mr.  Yeakel 
is  a  member  of  the  Moravian  church,  the 
Bethlehem  Club,  South  Bethlehem 
Lodge,  Benevolent  Protective  Order  of 
Elks  and  Woodmen  of  the  World. 

He  married,  June  11,  1891,  Lannie 
Irene,  daughter  of  James  R.  and  Almina 
(Riegel)  Hammel. 


HOCHSTRASSER,  Arnold, 

Prominent    Manufacturer. 

Arnold  Hochstrasser,  superintendent 
of  the  Whitehall  Cement  Company, 
Owenton,  Lehigh  county,  Pennsylvania, 
is  a  worthy  representative  of  that  class 
of  American  citizens  who  claim  as  their 
birthplace  foreign  lands,  but  who  give 
their  full  allegiance  to  this  country  upon 
taking  up  their  residence  here,  being  will- 
ing if  necessary,  to  offer  up  their  lives 
in  her  defense. 

Arnold  Hochstrasser  was  born  in  Swit- 
zerland, August  I,  1877.  He  was  reared 
and  educated  in  his  native  land,  gradu- 
ating from  the  State  Technical  School  of 
Bern  in  mechanical  engineering.  In  No- 
vember, 1900,  having  previously  come 
to  the  conclusion  that  the  United  States 
offered  better  advantages  for  young  men 
than  his  native  land,  or,  in  fact,  in  any 
part  of  the  Old  World,  he  left  his  home 
and  came  to  this  country,  beginning  his 
business  career  as  an  employee  of  the 
Singer  Sewing  Machine  Company  at  their 
Boston  plant,  later  being  transferred  to 
Elizabeth,  New  Jersey,  where  he  remain- 
ed three  years.  He  then  devoted  his  at- 
tention to  chemical  research  work  at 
Mount  Vernon,  New  York,  continuing 
for  a  period  of  two  years.  He  then  en- 
gaged in  the  cement  business,  accepting 
the  position  of  engineer  in  charge  of  the 
construction  work  in  the  plant  of  the 
Maryland  Portland  Cement  Company,  at 
Hagerstown.  When  the  building  was 
completed  he  was  retained  as  assistant 
superintendent  in  the  operation  of  the 
cement  mills,  performing  the  tasks  allot- 
ted to  him  in  an  efficient  manner  which 
won  for  him  the  commendation  of  his  su- 
perior officers.  In  191 1  he  accepted  the 
position  of  engineer  of  construction  in  the 
building  and  remodeling  of  the  Whitehall 
Cement  Company  plant,  of  Lehigh 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  retained 
906 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


as  its  superintendent,  in  which  capacity 
he  has  since  served  with  great  credit  to 
himself  and  giving  entire  satisfaction  to 
the  company.  In  appearance  and  action 
he  is  typically  an  American,  and  he  is 
essentially  a  self-made  man,  this  being 
the  result  of  industry,  perseverance  and 
wise  judgment.  He  is  the  supporter  of 
all  measures  which  have  for  their  object 
the  welfare  of  the  community,  and  in  all 
respects  fulfills  the  obligations  of  a  good 
and  true  citizen. 

Mr.  Hochstrasser  married  May  Carroll, 
of  New  York.  They  are  the  parents  of 
one  child,  Carroll  L..  born  in  New  York, 
January  i6,  1907. 


HARTMAN,  Samuel  G., 

Oil  Corporation  Officer,   Public  Official. 

Israel  Hartman  (I),  great-great-grand- 
father of  Samuel  G.  Hartman,  was  of 
Lithopolis,  Ohio.  Philip  (II),  son  of 
Israel  Hartman,  was  born  May  28,  1779, 
and  married  Mariah  Cromley,  who  was 
born  in  1787,  and  died  April  6,  1842.  The 
death  of  Philip  Hartman  occurred  Sep- 
tember 5,  1843. 

(Ill)  William,  son  of  Philip  and  Ma- 
riah (Cromley)  Hartman,  was  born  Octo- 
ber 13,  1813,  and  migrated  from  Allen- 
town,  Pennsylvania,  to  Fairfield  county, 
Ohio,  where  he  passed  the  remainder  of 
his  life  in  agricultural  pursuits.  He  mar- 
ried (first)  Hannah,  daughter  of  Barney 
Fellers,  and  their  children  were:  Daniel, 
of  Rawson,  Ohio ;  Franklin,  deceased ; 
Joshua,  of  Rawson,  Ohio;  Catharine,  de- 
ceased ;  and  Henry,  mentioned  below. 
Mrs.  Hartman  who,  before  her  marriage, 
was  of  Jefferson,  Ohio,  died  about  1848, 
and  Mr.  Hartman  married  (second) 
Susan  Crozier,  of  Arcadia,  becoming  by 
this  marriage  the  father  of  the  following 
children :  Jane,  Mary,  Sarah,  Emma, 
Malinda,  Barbara,  Alice,  John,  and  Jack- 


son.    William  Hartman  died  about  1877, 
in  Findlay,  Ohio. 

(IV)  Henry,  son  of  William  and  Han- 
nah (Fellers)  Hartman,  was  born  Janu- 
ary 17,  1836,  at  Green  Castle,  Fairfield 
county,  Ohio,  and  was  six  years  old  when 
the  family  removed  to  Findlay,  Ohio. 
It  was  in  the  schools  of  that  place  that 
he  received  his  education  and  there  he 
has  always  lived,  following  the  calling  of 
a  farmer.  He  served  in  the  Civil  War  as 
a  member  of  the  Twenty-first  Regiment 
Ohio  Volunteer  Infantry,  and  is  a  com- 
rade of  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic. 
Mr.  Hartman  is  a  Republican,  and  served 
for  many  years  as  school  director.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  Evangelical  church.  Mr. 
Hartman  married,  November  15,  i860,  at 
Findlay,  Ohio,  Catharine,  born  May  I, 
1838,  daughter  of  Samuel  and  Mary  (Ro- 
binalt)  Powell,  of  that  place.  The  Powell 
family  were  originally  of  Pennsylvania. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hartman  were  the  parents 
of  two  sons :  Samuel  G..  mentioned  be- 
low ;  and  Claude,  born  April  24,  1871.  a 
farmer  of  Findlay,  Ohio,  and  director  of 
the  Farmers'  Mutual  Protective  Associ- 
ation of  that  place.  Mrs.  Hartman  passed 
away  February  11,  1914. 

(V)  Samuel  G.,  son  of  Henry  and 
Catharine  (Powell)  Hartman,  was  born 
February  26,  1865,  at  Findlay,  Hancock 
county,  Ohio,  and  received  his  primary 
education  in  local  schools,  passing  thence 
first  to  the  Ohio  Normal  School  at  Ada, 
Ohio,  and  then  to  Findlay  College.  He 
began  his  business  life  by  going  to  Mis- 
souri, where  he  was  employed  for  a  short 
time,  returning  then  to  his  native  State 
and  associating  himself  with  the  Dalzell, 
Gilmore  &  Leighton  Glass  Company. 
This  connection  he  severed  after  a  brief 
period  in  order  to  identify  himself  with 
the  industry  with  which  his  name  has 
ever  since  been  inseparably  linked.  Ten 
years  were  spent  with  the  Ohio  Oil  Com- 
907 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


pany,  during  five  of  which  he  was  sta- 
tioned at  Findlay,  afterward  representing 
the  company  at  Oil  City,  Pennsylvania, 
where  their  general  offices  were  situated. 
During  a  portion  of  this  time  Mr.  Hart- 
man  served  as  assistant  treasurer  for  dif- 
ferent companies,  including  the  South 
Penn  Oil  Company,  the  Ohio  Oil  Com- 
pany, Indiana  Division,  and  the  South 
Penn  Oil  Company,  Midland  Division. 
In  the  course  of  these  years  he  achieved 
the  reputation  of  a  business  man  of  sound 
judgment,  keen  foresight  and  unblemish- 
ed integrity.  In  1902  he  was  transferred 
to  Pittsburgh  by  the  South  Penn  Oil 
Company,  and  in  1904  became  its  treas- 
urer. In  191 1  he  was  made  a  director  of 
the  company. 

In  politics  Mr.  Hartman  is  an  Inde- 
pendent Republican,  and  in  1906  served  as 
president  and  director  of  the  school  board 
of  the  Old  Twenty-second  (new  Four- 
teenth) ward  of  Pittsburgh,  that  being 
the  time  when  the  new  school  system  be- 
came effective.  He  affiliates  with  Home- 
wood  Lodge,  No.  635,  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons,  belongs  to  the  Union  Club  and 
is  a  member  and  trustee  of  the  Home- 
wood  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

Mr.  Hartman  married,  July  10,  1889,  at 
Carthage,  Missouri,  Minnie  D.  Fellers, 
whose  ancestral  record  is  appended  to 
this  biography,  and  they  are  the  parents 
of  the  following  children :  Esther  Kath- 
arine, born  March  31,  1894:  Annette 
Elizabeth,  born  March  31,  1896;  Lois 
Pauline,  born  April  23,  1899;  and  Henry 
Paul,  born  October  22,  1903.  All  these 
children  are  receiving  their  education  in 
the  schools  of  Pittsburgh.  Devotion  to 
family  ties  and  love  of  home  are  domi- 
nant traits  in  the  character  of  Mr.  Hart- 
man and  in  the  presiding  genius  of  his 
fireside  he  finds  intellectual  comradeship 
combined  with  the  charm  of  a  perfect 
domesticity.  Mrs.  Hartman,  who  is  a 
member    of    the    Homewood    Women's 


Club,  is  a  woman  of  strength  of  char- 
acter, breadth  of  culture  and  much  sweet- 
ness of  disposition. 

(The   Fellers   Line). 

Paul  Fellers  was  a  farmer  of  Carthage, 
Jasper  county,  Missouri,  and  married 
Elizabeth  Jane  Dreisbach  (see  Dreis- 
bach  line),  and  their  children  were:  Lil- 
lian D. ;  Minnie  D.,  mentioned  below; 
Grace  Annette,  Ortiz  D.,  Harley  D., 
Thurlow  D.,  Emerson  D.,  and  A.  P. 
Oswald  D. 

(II)  Minnie  D.,  daughter  of  Paul  and 
Elizabeth  Jane  (Dreisbach)  Fellers,  be- 
came the  wife  of  Samuel  G.  Hartman,  as 
stated  above. 

(The  Dreisbach   Line). 

Martin  Dreisbach,  great-great-gjand- 
father  of  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Jane  (Dreis- 
bach) Fellers,  was  born  in  1717,  in  the 
earldom  of  Witgenstein,  Germany.  His 
parents  belonged  to  the  middle  class, 
owning  considerable  property.  They 
were  members  of  the  Reformed  Church, 
as  was  also  their  son  Martin.  The  latter 
learned  the  trade  of  a  blacksmith,  and 
married  Anna  Eve  Hoffman,  daughter  of 
a  school  teacher  in  Nausausiegen,  a  small 
estate  adjoining  that  of  Witgenstein.  In 
1746  Martin  Dreisbach  and  his  wife  emi- 
grated to  the  province  of  Pennsylvania, 
purchasing  a  farm  in  Lancaster  county, 
near  the  Black  Horse  Tavern,  in  Cocalico 
township.  There  Martin  Dreisbach 
worked  at  his  trade,  and  also  built  a  grist 
and  saw  mill,  but  having  lost  his  oldest 
son  by  a  sudden  death  he  sold  his  prop- 
erty and  bought  a  farm  in  Berks  county, 
moving  thither  in  1763.  In  1773  he  sold 
this  place  also  and  purchased  a  tract  of 
land  in  Buflfalo  Valley.  Northumberland 
(now  Union)  county.  About  three  years 
after  their  settlement  they  were  obliged 
to  return  to  their  former  neighborhood  in 
order   to   escape    from   the    Indians,   but 


1908 


:/ ai/r/    -^ cjA/c?^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


went  back  to  their  new  home  when  the 
danger  was  past.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dreisbach 
were  the  parents  of  the  following  chil- 
dren :  Jacob,  Henry,  John,  Martin,  men- 
tioned below ;  Margaret,  and  Catharine. 
Mrs.  Dreisbach  died  in  March,  1789,  at 
the  age  of  sixty-five,  and  in  February, 
1799,  the  father  of  the  family  passed 
away,  being  then  eighty-two  years  old. 

(II)  Martin  (2),  son  of  Martin  (i)  and 
Anna  Eve  (Hoflfman)  Dreisbach,  was 
born  in  1764,  in  Berks  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  married  Sabina  Fredericka 
Bucks  (see  Bucks  line).  Their  children 
were:  John,  mentioned  below;  Anna  E., 
Susannah,  Leah,  Elizabeth,  and  Martin. 
Mr.  Dreisbach  died  in  1831,  in  Union 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  the  death  of 
his  wife  occurred  in  1849,  in  Fairfield 
county,  Ohio.  Both  were  for  many  years 
members  of  the  Evangelical  church. 

(III)  John,  son  of  Martin  (2)  and 
Sabina  Fredericka  (Bucks)  Dreisbach, 
was  born  June  5,  1789,  in  Buffalo  Valley, 
Pennsylvania,  and  in  1807  entered  the 
ministry  of  the  Evangelical  church,  then 
in  its  infancy.  In  181 1  he  married  Cath- 
arine Eyer,  of  Dry  Valley,  Pennsylvania, 
who  died  in  1815,  leaving  two  children — 
Saloma  and  Elizabeth.  In  1817  Mr.  Dreis- 
bach married  (second)  Fanny  Eyer,  born 
September  22,  1791,  a  sister  of  his  first 
wife.  The  children  of  this  marriage  were: 
Abraham  E.,  Isaac  E.,  Catharine,  Sophia, 
Jacob  E.,  mentioned  below;  Leah  E., 
Martin  E.,  Susanna  E.,  John  E.,  Fanny 
E.,  and  Martha  E.  In  1831  Mr.  Dreisbach 
migrated  with  his  family  from  Buffalo 
Valley,  Union  county,  Pennsylvania,  to 
Pickaway  county,  Ohio,  where  they  set- 
tled on  a  farm  which  remained  their  home 
for  many  years,  until  their  deaths. 

(IV)  Jacob  E.,  son  of  John  and  Fanny 
(Eyer)  Dreisbach,  was  born  in  Union 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  in  after  life 
removed  to  Hancock  county,  Ohio.  He 
was  a  farmer  and  minister,  and  in  1844 


married  Catharine  Wagner,  of  Hocking 
county,  Ohio.  This  was  before  his  re- 
moval to  that  State.  Their  children  were : 
Elizabeth  Jane,  mentioned  below;  Simon 
W.,  Isaiah  W.,  Esther,  and  William  W. 
Mrs.  Dreisbach  died  January  31,  1892. 

(V)  Elizabeth  Jane,  daughter  of  Jacob 
E.  and  Catharine  (Wagner)  Dreisbach, 
became  the  wife  of  Paul  Fellers  (see 
Fellers  line). 

(The    Bucks    Line). 

George  Bucks  was  a  native  of  Wur- 
teniberg,  Germany,  and  emigrated  to  the 
province  of  New  Jersey,  probably  re- 
moving thence  to  Pennsylvania.  He  was 
twice  married,  his  second  wife  being 
Christina  Metzger,  also  a  native  of  Wur- 
temberg.  Among  the  children  of  this 
marriage  was  Sabina  Fredericka,  men- 
tioned below.  George  Bucks  and  his  wife 
were  originally  members  of  the  Lutheran 
church,  but  Mrs.  Bucks  in  her  last  years 
united  with  the  Evangelical  communion. 
Mr.  Bucks  was  eighty-five  at  the  time  of 
his  death,  and  Mrs.  Bucks  survived  to  the 
great  age  of  ninety-seven. 

(II)  Sabina  Fredericka,  daughter  of 
George  and  Christina  (Metzger)  Bucks, 
was  born  in  1762,  in  Sussex  county.  New 
Jersey,  and  became  the  wife  of  Martin 
(2)  Dreisbach  (see  Dreisbach  line). 


DESHLER,  David, 

Man  of  Enterprise,  Fonnder  of  DesHler  In- 
stitute. 

The  name  Deschler  is  of  Swiss  origin. 
The  direct  ancestor  in  America  was  Cap- 
tain David  Deschler,  who  was  aide-de- 
camp to  Prince  Lewis,  of  Baden,  Ger- 
many, in  the  war  of  the  Spanish  Succes- 
sion. He  married,  in  171 1,  Maria  Wuster, 
born  in  1690,  daughter  of  Hans  Casper 
Wuster,  and  Anna  Catharine,  his  wife. 

David  Deshler,  son  of  Captain  David 
Deshler  and  his  wife,  Maria  Wister, 
909 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


arrived  at  Philadelphia  on  the  ship 
"Hope,"  on  August  28,  1733.  He  entered 
the  counting  house  of  his  uncle,  John 
Wistar,  and  became  a  leading  hardware 
and  paint  merchant.  The  Philadelphia 
Directory  of  1767- 1768,  records  the  fol- 
lowing: "David  Deshler,  Director  Phila. 
Contribution,  hardware,  paints,  etc.  Opp. 
Butchers  Shambles,  Market  St.  Sign  of 
Green  Frying  Pan."  David  Deshler  built 
historic  Morris  Mansion,  at  Germantown. 
(This  mansion,  which  is  situated  No.  5442 
Germantown  avenue,  Philadelphia,  was 
built  in  the  years  1772-73-74  by  David 
Deshler,  a  merchant  of  Philadelphia,  who 
was  so  noted  for  his  integrity  that  his 
name  passed  into  a  proverb — "as  honest 
as  David  Deshler").  The  late  David 
Lewis,  a  short  time  before  his  death, 
handed  to  Mr.  EUiston  P.  Morris,  the 
present  owner  (1898)  of  the  mansion  a 
package  of  papers  in  the  German  lan- 
guage containing  memoranda  made  by 
David  Deshler,  his  grandfather.  Upon 
deciphering  and  translating  them,  Mr. 
Morris  found  that  one  referred  to  the 
building  of  this  mansion,  giving  the  de- 
scription and  cost  of  material  and  labor 
for  its  erection,  between  the  years  1772- 

1774- 

At  the  time  of  the  battle  of  German- 
town  in  1777,  Sir  William  Howe  removed 
his  headquarters  to  this  house ;  the  tradi- 
tion says  that  Prince  William,  (afterwards 
William  IV.)  paid  him  a  visit  there.  David 
Deshler  continued  to  live  in  this  house 
during  the  summer  season,  until  his  death 
in  1792.  It  was  then  sold  to  Colonel 
Isaac  Franks,  of  the  Revolutionary  army, 
who  lived  there  until  1802.  But  m  the 
year  1793,  when  yellow  fever  was  raging 
in  Philadelphia,  this  house  was  selected 
as  a  temporary  residence  for  (leneral 
Washington,  and  Colonel  Franks  acceded 
to  the  request  to  rent  it  to  the  President. 
General  Washington,  writing  to  Burgess 
Ball    from    Germantown,    under   date    of 


November  24,  1793,  makes  a  reference  to 
this  house  "The  Malady  with  which 
Philadelphia  has  been  sorely  afflicted,  has, 
it  is  said,  entirely  ceased,  and  all  the 
citizens  are  returning  to  their  old  habi- 
tants again.  I  took  a  house  in  this  town 
when  I  first  arrived  here,  and  shall  retain 
it  until  Congress  get  themselves  fixed ; 
although  I  spent  part  of  my  time  in  the 
city." 

In  1802  the  house  was  purchased  by 
the  brothers  Elliston  and  John  Perot, 
gentlemen  of  Huguenot  extraction,  and 
they  used  it  as  a  summer  residence.  On 
the  death  of  Elliston  Perot  in  1834,  it 
became  a  part  of  his  estate,  in  the  settle- 
ment of  the  joint  estate  of  the  two 
brothers.  His  only  daughter,  Hannah, 
had  married  Samuel  B.  Morris,  of  the  old 
shipping  firm  of  Wain  &  Morris,  and  Mr. 
S.  B.  Morris  purchased  the  house  in  1836 
from  his  brother-in-law,  Francis  Perot. 
Mr.  Morris  lived  in  it  until  his  death  in 
1859,  leaving  it  by  his  will  to  his  son, 
Elliston  Perot  Morris,  who  now  resides 
there. 

The  Germantown  Morris  house  is  built 
in  the  colonial  style,  having  a  frontage  of 
forty  feet,  which,  tradition  says,  would 
have  been  wider,  but  for  a  noble  plum 
tree  on  the  south  side,  which  David 
Deshler,  the  owner  of  the  property,  was 
averse  to  removing.  The  main  body  of 
the  building  is  about  forty  feet  in  depth, 
with  back  buildings,  extending  into  the 
large  beautiful  garden,  which,  commenc- 
ing alongside  and  running  southward, 
presents  a  width  of  one  hundred  feet,  and 
extends  westward  435  feet.  In  it  may 
be  seen  some  magnificent  trees,  and  box 
bushes  more  than  a  century  old.  (Re- 
corded in  "History  of  Morris  Family," 
Philadelphia,  Volume  II.,  pp.  679,  680). 

David    Deshler   died    at   his    home   on 

Market  street  on   March  20,    1792,  aged 

eighty-one  years.     He  married,  in   1738. 

Maria,  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Catharine 

910 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


(Feree)  Le  Fevre.  She  was  born  Sep- 
tember 24,  1715,  died  February  25,  1774. 
They  were  the  parents  of  six  children, 
namely:  Isaac,  who  died  September  18, 
1749;  Samuel,  who  died  August  17,  1751  ; 
Sarah,  who  died  October  11,  1757;  Mary, 
married  to  Ellis  Lewis ;  Esther,  married 
to  John  Morton ;  Catharine,  married  to 
Robert  Roberts.  The  first  three  of  the 
above  named  children  died  unmarried. 
The  three  sons-in-law  were  merchants  in 
Philadelphia.  This  family  were  members 
of  the  Friends'  Meeting  House  on  Race 
street,  Philadelphia.  The  archives  of  this 
meeting  house  record  the  marriages  of 
their  three  daughters,  the  death  of  the 
three  above-named  children,  and  the 
death  of  their  noble  parents. 

The  family  were  of  the  nobility  in  Ger- 
many and  at  least  three  branches  were 
honored  with  escutcheons. 

Anthony  Deshler,  a  brother  of  David, 
married  Mary  Elizabeth  Bensel,  and  had 
two  sons  and  three  daughters. 

Adam  Deshler,  son  of  Captain  David 
and  Maria  (Wuster)  Deshler,  was  among 
the  pioneer  settlers  of  Whitehall  town- 
ship, Lehigh  county,  Pennsylvania.  Al- 
fred F.  Berlin,  the  noted  historian  and 
archaeologist,  in  an  article  read  before  the 
Lehigh  County  Historical  Society,  quoted 
the  following:  "An  original  warrant  now 
in  possession  of  The  Lehigh  Portland 
Cement  Company,  gave  by  patent  from 
James  Hamilton,  then  Governor  of  Penn- 
sylvania, per  John  and  Richard  Penn,  the 
proprietaries,  to  Adam  Deshler,  dated 
May  5,  1751.  (Patent  Book,  Phila.,  Pa., 
A.  Vol.  15,  page  593,)  three  tracts  of  land 
situate  on  the  west  branch  of  the  Dela- 
ware river — the  Lehigh  river — on  or  near 
Indian  Copelin's  Creek,  containing  301^ 
acres.  One  of  the  boundaries  contained 
in  the  description  of  one  of  the  tracts 
containing  200  acres,  is  the  middle  of 
Indian  Copelin's  Creek." 

Adam   Deshler   was   naturalized   April 


10,  1755.  He  was  one  of  the  most  success- 
ful farmers  in  the  township.  From  1756 
to  1758  he  furnished  provisions  for  the 
provincial  troops  in  the  French  and 
Indian  War.  In  the  year  1760,  Adam 
Deshler  built  a  stone  house*  upon  this 
tract,  which  is  still  standing  and  in  a  good 
state  of  preservation,  still  giving  unmis- 
takable evidence  by  its  heavy  walls,  that 
it  was  built  to  serve  other  purposes  than 
those  of  an  ordinary  farm  home.  Adjoin- 
mg  the  stone  building  upon  the  north, 
was  a  large  frame  building  in  which 
twenty  soldiers  might  be  comfortably 
quartered,  and  a  considerable  quantity  of 
military  stores  kept.  During  the  Indian 
troubles  this  place  was  a  kind  of  military- 
post,  furnished  gratuitously  by  Adam 
Deshler,  who  was  one  of  the  most  liberal 
and  humane  men  in  the  region.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Egypt  Reformed  con- 
gregation, and  is  buried  in  the  graveyard 
there.  His  last  will  and  testament,  dated 
January  22,  iyj2,  was  probated  Septem- 
ber 20,  1781.  Adam  and  ApoUonia  Deshler 
had  seven  children,  namely :  Eva  Cathar- 
ine, born  1729,  died  June  2,  1816;  David, 
born  1734,  died  December  24,  1796;  Peter, 
born  March  18,  1743,  died  September  28, 
1800;  Adam,  born  October  i,  1745,  died 
February  24,  1790;  Juliana,  born  May  7, 
1746,  died  March  12,  1840;  Barbara,  born 
November  2,  1747,  died  October  10,  1832* 
Catharine,  born   1751.  died  February  11, 


•Deshler's  Fort,  which  was  a  place  of  refuge 
in  troublous  Indian  times,  stands  on  the  north 
bank  of  Coplay  creek,  in  ''.Vhitehall  township, 
Lehiph  county.  Pennsvlvani.i.  It  stpndt  on  a 
little  eminence  overlooking  the  meadows  through 
which  Coplay  creek  flows.  It  is  a  substantially 
built  structure,  forty  feet  long  by  thirtv  in 
width,  two  and  a  half  stories  high,  with  walls 
two  feet  thick,  and  heavy  timbers  supporting- 
the  interior.  There  were  orlginiUy  but  a  few 
small  windows  in  the  sides,  each  with  four 
panes  of  glass,  but  more  have  since  been  added, 
and  in  the  gable  ends  there  were  a  row  of  ionp- 
holes.  A  large  hearth  and  chimnev  occupies  the 
center  of  the  house,  and  divides  the  lower  r.nd 
upper  stories  into  two  apartments.  In  the 
mantlepiece  above  this  can  be  seen  the  bullet- 
holes  made  by  the  Indians.  Ad.ioinin,-?  tbe  house 
on  the  north  was  a  frame  addition  which  shel- 
tered the  soldiers  quartered  ther?  at  the  time  of 
the  Indian  troubles  In  1763.  The  house  was  well 
prepared  to  withstand  any  attacks,  as  it  was  so 
strongly  built,  and  furthermore  it  is  said  there 
was  a  well  within  the  walls. 


I9II 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


1825.  Eva  Catharine  Deshler  married 
Peter  Burkholder,  who  was  a  prominent 
Revolutionary  patriot.  They  had  three 
children,  namely :  John  Peter,  married 
to  Dorothea  Steckel ;  Magdalena,  married 
to  Lieutenant-Colonel  Stephen  Balliet ; 
and  Barbara,  wife  of  Henry  Epply. 

David  Deshler,  the  eldest  son  of  Adam 
and  Apollonia  Deshler,  in  1767,  pur- 
chased from  "James  Allen,  of  the  town  of 
Northampton,  in  the  county  of  North- 
ampton, in  the  Province  of  Pennsylvania, 
for  and  in  consideration  of  the  sum  of 
£500,  fifty  acres  and  six  perches  of  land 
situate  in  Salisbury  township,  upon  the 
southern  bank  of  the  Little  Lehi  Creek, 
so  called."  From  the  text  of  the  deed, 
"said  David  Deshler,  intended  to  erect 
and  built  upon  the  tract  of  land  above 
described,  a  certain  grist-mill."  (Re- 
corded at  Easton,  Pa.,  in  Deed  Book  B, 
Vol.  I,  page  181). 

He  was  one  of  the  earliest  settlers  of 
what  is  now  the  city  of  Allentown,  Penn- 
sylvania, "where  is  credited  as  having 
built  the  first  house."  He  was  assessed 
£9  in  1762,  and  in  1768  he  was  already 
taxed  for  a  grist-mill,  a  saw-mill,  and 
seventy-five  acres  of  land  situate  in  Salis- 
bury township.  During  the  Revolution 
he  was  one  of  the  most  prominent 
patriots  in  Northampton  county.  He 
acted  as  commissary  of  supplies  for  the 
army,  and  with  Captain  John  Arndt,  of 
Easton,  also  a  commissary,  advanced 
money  to  the  Provincial  government  out 
of  his  private  means  in  1780,  when  the 
public  treasury  was  empty,  and  that,  too, 
at  a  time  when  the  prospect  of  it  being 
returned  was  not  very  bright.  They  both 
labored  with  unflagging  zeal  to  promote 
the  welfare  of  the  public  cause,  and  to 
fill  the  quota  of  the  county,  as  required 
by  the  acts  of  Congress  and  the  Provin- 
cial Assembly.  The  following  letter  is 
of  interest  here : 

19 


David  Deshler  to  Pres.  Reed,  1780. 

Allentown,  24th  Aug",  1780. 
Sir, 

I  have  sent  Mr.  Charles  Deshler,  my  assistant', 
who  will- call  on  you,  for  a  supply  of  cash,  and 
request  you'll  be  pleas'd  to  send  me  fifty  thou- 
sand pounds  for  the  use  of  purchasing  supplies 
for  the  army,  without  that  article  it  is  impossible 
for  me  to  carry  on  the  Business  in  the  manner  I 
could  wish. 

I  can  purchase  one  hundred  head  of  cattle  in 
one  weeks  time,  if  I  was  supplied  with  money  for 
that  purpose. 

I  have  the  offer  of  five  hundred  Bushels  of 
Wheat  from  one  person,  but  cannot  have  it  for 
want  of  money. 

I  am  sir,  Your  Obt  HumB  St. 

David  Deshler, 
Commisr  for  Northm  County. 
(Penn.  Archives  1779-1781,  page  5-17). 

And  further,  an  extract  from  the 
minutes  of  the  Supreme  Executive  Coun- 
cil of  Pennsylvania : 

Phila.,  Sat.  Aug.  26,  1780. 

An  order  was  drawn  on  the  Treasurer  in  favour 
of  Mr.  Charles  Deshler,  for  the  sum  of  one  thou- 
sand pounds,  of  the  money  emitted  by  an  act  of 
the  General  Assembly,  passed  the  25th  day  of 
March,  last,  to  be  by  him  paid  to  Colonel  David 
Deshler,  Commissioner  of  Purchases  for  the 
county  of  Northampton,  for  purchasing  supplies 
for  the  use  of  the  Army,  to  be  charged  to  Colonel 
Jacob  Morgan,  Jr.,  Superintendent,  etc.,  and  de- 
ducted out  of  an  order  granted  him  on  the  14th 
inst. 

(Col.  Rec.  vol.  xii,  page  460). 

Colonel  David  Deshler  was  beyond 
doubt  the  most  substantial  resident  of 
Northampton  town  in  his  time,  and  his 
influence  helped  very  materially  in  the 
successful  culmination  of  the  War  for  In- 
dependence. In  1787  he  was  a  delegate 
to  the  convention  called  to  ratify  the 
Federal  Constitution.  He  was  a  man  of 
great  foresight  and  ability,  and  his  char- 
acter and  reputation  were  beyond  re- 
proach. In  1782  he  purchased  from  John 
Benezet,  a  merchant  of  Philadelphia,  for 
81,800  specie,  the  fine  home  and  tract  of 
12 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


331  acres  of  land  along  the  Lehigh  (then 
in  Allen,  now  Hanover  township)  which 
had  been  previously  owned  by  George 
Taylor,  who  had  built  the  house  still 
standing  on  the  tract  in  1768,  and  which 
Mr.  Taylor  had  sold  to  Mr.  Benezet  in 
1776.  Here  he  spent  the  latter  part  of 
his  life,  and  died  there  December  24, 
1796,  aged  sixty-two  years.  David  and 
Susanna  Deshler  had  children,  namely : 
Catharine,  born  October  10,  1761,  died 
December  25,  1837;  John  Adam,  born 
July  31,  1766,  died  October  14,  1820;  Bar- 
bara, born  December  17,  1768,  died  June 
17,  1838;  Peter,  born  December  30,  1769, 
died  April  26,  1772;  Susanna,  born  April 
21,  1773 ;  Mary  Elizabeth,  born  March  2";, 
177$,  died  December  17,  1840;  Magdalena, 
born  June  20,  1779;  died  December  27, 
1848;  Sarah,  born  November  24,  1783. 

Catharine,  eldest  daughter  of  David 
and  Susanna  Deshler,  in  1778  married 
Charles  Deshler,  born  in  Philadelphia, 
September  10,  1754.  He  died  February 
4,  1841,  at  AUentown,  where  he  had  been 
a  storekeeper,  and  during  the  War  of 
Independence  he  served  as  quartermaster, 
also  as  the  assistant  commissioner  of  pur- 
chases for  Northampton  county  in  1780- 
1781.  Charles  and  Catharine  (Deshler) 
Deshler,  had  the  following  children : 
George,  born  August  13,  1782,  died  Octo- 
ber 26,  1789;  Elizabeth,  born  August  4, 
1786,  died  January  2,  1789;  Charles  Wil- 
liam, born  September  24,  1787,  died  Octo- 
ber 4,  1787;  Ann,  born  March  23,  1791. 

John  Adam  Deshler  married  Deborah 
Wagner,  born  in  1764,  died  October  11, 
1820.  He  removed  to  Easton,  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  was  a  prominent  busi- 
ness man.  Their  children  were:  Eliza- 
beth, born  November  i,  1786;  Mary,  born 
November  29,  1788,  married  Samuel  Bit- 
tenbender;  Catharine,  born  June  i,  1790, 
married  James  Hackett;  David,  born 
January  15,  1792,  who  became  the  lead- 


ing banker  of  Columbus,  Ohio.  He  was 
the  father  of  John  Deshler,  of  Buffalo, 
New  York ;  George  W.,  born  September 
17,  1795,  died  May  25,  1857,  at  Easton. 
He  married  Catharine  Lawson  Dunham. 

Charles  Dunham  Deshler,  son  of 
George  W.  and  Catharine  Lawson  (Dun- 
ham) Deshler,  was  born  at  Easton,  March 
I,  1819.  He  entered  the  drug  business  in 
New  Brunswick,  New  Jersey,  from  which 
he  retired  in  1859  and  engaged  in  literary 
work,  first  on  the  "Jersey  City  Standard," 
and  later  on  the  "Newark  Advertiser." 
He  returned  to  New  Brunswick  in  1868 
and  became  connected  with  "Harper's 
Magazine,"  having  charge  of  the  Editor's 
Round  Table.  He  wrote  and  compiled 
"Chaucer,  With  Selections,"  and  "After- 
noons with  the  Poets."  He  was  Asso- 
ciate Judge  of  Middlesex  county,  New 
Jersey,  and  the  first  school  superintendent 
of  that  county.  He  was  postmaster  of 
New  Brunswick  for  one  term,  and  was 
instrumental  in  founding  the  Middlesex 
Gas  Company,  and  the  Middlesex  Savings 
Bank.  He  had  a  large  and  valuable 
library,  principally  historical  in  character. 
He  died,  May  10,  1909,  aged  ninety  years. 
Mr.  Deshler  married  Miss  Mary  Hol- 
combe,  who  died  in  1893.  They  had 
seven  children :  Kate,  Mary,  Edith,  Ed- 
ward B.,  James,  Charles,  and  Frederick. 

Barbara  Deshler,  third  child  of  David 
and  Susanna  Deshler,  married  John  Wag- 
ner, born  in  1764,  died  December  i,  1840, 
and  had  a  son,  John  Wagner,  who  mar- 
ried Anna  Keiper.  Descendants  of  this 
family  are  Mrs.  Franklin  Good ;  her 
daughter  Hattie  Wagner  Good,  and  D. 
F.  Wagner. 

George  Deshler  married  Susanna  Dreis- 
bach,  and  had  children:  George,  born 
October  17,  1797;  and  Mary. 

Susanna  Deshler  married  Frederick 
Beissel. 

Mary  Elizabeth  Deshler  married  (first) 

913 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Christian  Mickley,  born  1767,  died  1812, 
and  (second)  in  1819,  Paul  Balliet  (1766- 

1845)- 

Peter  Deshler,  second  son  of  Adam, 
was  born  near  Egypt,  March  18,  1743, 
died  September  28,  1800.  He  married 
Magdalena  Mickley,  born  August  31, 
1746,  died  February  3,  1833.  She  subse- 
quently married  Michael  Bieber.  Their 
children  were :  John  Peter  Deshler,  born 
April  3,  1767,  died  October  6,  1854.  He 
married  Mary  Magdalena  Schreiber,  born 
January  29,  1767,  died  January  11,  183 1. 
They  had  two  sons  and  two  daughters. 
Valentine  Deshler,  one  of  the  sons,  had 
daughters :    Elizabeth  and  Salome. 

Catharine  Deshler,  born  March  14, 
1769. 

David  Deshler,  born  April  8,  1773,  son 
of  Peter,  had  a  clover  mill  along  the  Little 
Lehigh,  and  was  called  "Clover  Seed 
David."  He  married  Regina  Bieber,  born 
December  9,  1779,  and  had  eight  chil- 
dren :  Thomas,  who  married  Matilda 
Eichman,  of  Easton  ;  Charles ;  William  ; 
David ;  Elizabeth,  married  John  Gross ; 
Sallie,  married  David  Heimbach ;  Ed- 
ward ;  and  Stephen. 

Charles  Deshler,  son  of  David  and 
Regina,  was  born  May  18,  1802,  died  Sep- 
tember 2,  1831.  He  married  Veronica 
Dorney,  born  January  24,  1804,  died  July 
II,  1873.  They  had  four  children,  namely: 
Charles,  Tilghman,  born  December  i, 
1825,  died  May  4,  1908,  married  Mary 
Romich ;  Sarah,  born  September  2."],  1828, 
died  November  4,  1904,  married  Solomon 
Kline ;  and  Reuben,  born  November  23, 
1830,  and  died  September  26,  1905.  He 
married  Henrietta  C.  Ritter,  born  Febru- 
ary 14,  1828,  died  February  26,  1878.  He 
married  (second)  Mary  Zellner,  born 
July  7,  1839,  died  May  28,  1890.  Reuben 
Deshler  had  five  children  :  Charles  D. ; 
Henry  D. ;  Edward  (died  in  infancy)  ; 
Emma  D.,  wife  of  Phaon  Kleckner; 
Oliver  R. 


Charles  D.  Deshler,  born  May  4,  1852, 
married,  in  1870,  Annie  M.,  daughter  of 
Frederick  and  Sophia  (Stengel)  Eddinger. 
She  died  in  1904,  aged  fifty-two  years. 
They  had  five  children :  Sallie  H.,  wife 
of  A.  H.  Bowman ;  Emma  D.,  wife  of 
Arthur  W.  Young,  both  deceased ;  Ed- 
ward R.,  married  Annie  C,  daughter  of 
John  Baker,  was  born  April  2,  1874,  and 
died  January  19,  1903,  leaving  one  son, 
Russell  E. ;  Charles  S.,  married  Gertrude 
Hay  and  has  children :  Paul,  William, 
Charles,  Ralph,  Robert,  Howard,  and 
Warren;  and  Warren  F.,  married  Mary 
White,  and  has  one  daughter,  Beatrice. 

Oliver  R.  Deshler,  son  of  Reuben,  was 
born  May  26,  1861.  He  married  Carrie 
A.  Balliet,  and  had  eight  children  :  George 
O.,  Harry  H.,  May  K.,  deceased,  Edna  N., 
Walter  B.,  Ruth  O..  Dorothy  A.,  and 
Beatrice  E. 

Edward  Deshler,  son  of  David  and  Re- 
gina (Bieber)  Deshler,  married  (first) 
Eliza,  daughter  of  William  Stewart ;  and 
(second)  Mrs.  Ellen  Eckert,  nee  Wilson. 
He  died  in  Allentown  in  1889.  He  had 
four  children :  Dr.  C.  F.,  who  died  in 
1884;  William  H. ;  James  B.,  Esq.;  and 
Jennie  E. 

William  H.  Deshler,  Esq.,  was  a  stu- 
dent at  Freeland  Seminary  and  Lafayette 
College,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1862. 

Catharine  Deshler,  born  April  19,  1775. 

Susanna,  born  January  13,  1778,  died 
July  2}^,  1834.     She  married  John  Yundt. 

Jacob  Deshler,  born  March  30,  1781, 
married  Elizabeth  Hagenbach.  He  was 
a  prominent  resident  of  Northumberland 
county,  near  Milton,  where  he  was  a  jus- 
tice of  the  peace.  His  children  were: 
Mary  A.,  wife  of  Dr.  Edward  F.  Martin, 
of  Weaversville,  born  March  11,  1814, 
died  September  17,  1880;  Dr.  Edward 
Deshler,  born  April  7,  1826,  died  Sep- 
tember 27,  1890.  He  lived  at  Aarons- 
burg,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  married, 
914 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


September  22,  1853,  Maria  Jordan,  and 
had  four  children :  Dr.  J.  Jordan  Deshler, 
of  Ghdden,  Iowa ;  Joseph  and  Elizabeth 
Deshler,  who  died  in  Northumberland 
county ;  the  wife  of  George  Stahl. 

Magdalena  Deshler,  born  October  5, 
1784. 

Sara  Deshler,  born  August  23,  1788, 
married  Jacob  Weaver. 

Adam  Deshler,  son  of  Adam  and 
Apollonia  Deshler,  was  born  in  Whitehall 
township,  Lehigh  county,  Pennsylvania, 
October  i,  1745.  He  became  the  owner 
of  the  old  homestead,  which  he  farmed, 
and  where  he  died  while  yet  in  the  prime 
of  life,  February  24,  1790.  He  served  in 
the  Revolution  in  Captain  Zerfass'  Com- 
pany, from  Whitehall.  (Pennsylvania 
Archives,  Fifth  Series).  He  married,  in 
1769,  Mary  Catharine,  daughter  of  Paul 
Balliet;  she  was  born  July  28,  1752,  died 
January  28,  1823.  After  the  death  of 
Adam  Deshler  his  widow  married  Chris- 
tian Deily,  September  13,  1798.  Adam 
Deshler  Jr.  had  eight  children,  namely: 
Mary  Barbara,  born  1771 ;  David,  born 
September  17,  1773,  died  March  19,  1827; 
Mary  Susanna,  born  September  4,  1775; 
Magdalina,  born  September  28,  1778,  died 
October  i,  1827,  married  Jacob  Stein 
(1777-1842);  Maria  Susanna,  born  May 
7,  1781,  died  March  23,  1857,  married 
Peter  Schreiber ;  Catharine,  born  July  29, 
1783,  married  James  Preston;  Salome, 
born  May  8,  1786;  Elizabeth,  born  April 
25,  1789,  married  John  Peter  Wotring. 

David  Deshler,  son  of  Adam  and  Mary 
Catharine  (Balliet)  Deshler,  was  born  in 
Whitehall  township,  Lehigh  county, 
Pennsylvania,  September  17,  1773.  He 
farmed  the  old  homestead  ;  married,  Octo- 
ber 18,  1795,  Catharine  Fogel,  born  May 
27^  1-777'  died  August  15,  1842.  They 
were  the  parents  of  six  children,  namely: 
James,  David,  John,  Maria,  Deborah, 
Catharine. 

James  Deshler,  son  of  David  and  Cath- 

PA— Vol  VI-6  ig 


arine  (Fogel)  Deshler,  born  October  30, 
1796,  died  August  10,  1842,  married 
March  28,  1819,  Elizabeth,  daughter  of 
Peter  and  Diana  (Van  Buskirk;  Grim, 
who  died  in  1871.  They  had  six  children 
as  follows:  Mary  C,  born  February  12, 
1820,  died  May  12,  1891 ;  Jacob  G.,  born 
December  21,  1822,  died  May  12,  1893; 
Caroline  A.,  born  July  18,  1825,  died  July 
14,  191 1  ;  Elizabeth,  born  April  29,  1832, 
died  November  24,  1872;  D.  J.  Franklin, 
born  August  24,  1834,  died  October  12, 
1891  ;  Peter  W.  H.,  born  January  16,  1838, 
died  August  17,  1889. 

Jacob  Grim  Deshler,  son  of  James  and 
Elizabeth  (Grim)  Deshler,  was  born  in 
Whitehall  township,  on  the  old  home- 
btead.  He  farmed  the  land  owned  by  the 
family,  and  also  operated  a  grist-mill, 
which  his  grandfather,  Peter  Grim,  had 
purchased  early  in  1802,  now  known  as 
Helfrich's  mill.  He  married  Sarah,  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Judith  (Seem)  Trum- 
bauer.  She  was  born  January  3,  1834, 
died  March  28,  1886.  They  were  the 
parents  of  six  children,  namely :  Eliza- 
beth, Mary,  Sarah,  James  (who  died  in 
infancy),  Emma,  and  Annie. 

Elizabeth  Deshler,  daughter  of  Jacob 
G.  and  Sarah  A.  (Trumbauer)  Deshler, 
married  John  J.  Bahl.  They  had  three 
children  :  Philip  D.,  who  died  in  infancy ; 
Charles  P. ;  and  Helen  S.,  who  died  aged 
eight  years. 

Mary  Deshler  married  Dr.  H.  T.  Wood- 
house.  They  have  a  daughter,  Elizabeth 
D.,  and  a  son,  Edwin. 

Sarah,  the  third  daughter  of  Jacob  G., 
married  C.  S.  Weiss,  and  has  one  daugh- 
ter, Anna  M. 

Annie,  the  youngest  daughter,  married 
J.  W.  Mackemer,  and  has  children:  Doro- 
thy, Marian,  Walter,  Sumner  D.,  and 
Majorie. 

Caroline  A.,  second  daughter  of  James 
and  Elizabeth  (Grim)  Deshler,  was  mar- 
ried to  J.  Hiram  Kaull,  and  had  children: 
15 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Mary;  Alice;  George,  who  died  in  in- 
fancy ;  James,  wiio  died  in  his  youth ; 
Martha;  and  Peter. 

Mary  married  Ezekiel  Thomas,  and 
had  three  children:  Caroline;  Florence, 
who  died  in  infancy ;  James,  who  died  in 
his  youth ;  and  Caroline,  who  married 
Charles  R.  Smith  and  has  one  daughter, 
Helen  T.  Smith,  who  is  married  to  Emlyn 
E.  Jones.  Peter  G.  is  married  to  Elinor 
J.  Job. 

Elizabeth  Ann,  the  youngest  daughter 
of  James  and  Elizabeth  (Grim)  Deshler, 
married  Ephraim  Mickley,  and  died  with- 
out issue. 

D.  J.  Frank,  died  unmarried. 

Peter  W.,  died  unmarried. 

David  Deshler,  son  of  David  and  Cath- 
arine (Fogel)  Deshler,  and  whose  por- 
trait accompanies  this  sketch,  was  born 
at  the  old  homestead  in  Whitehall  town- 
ship, Lehigh  county,  Pennsylvania,  on 
September  lo,  1798.  He  left  home  when 
about  sixteen  years  of  age.  He  became  a 
surveyor,  and  assisted  in  the  government 
surveys  of  Kansas  and  Missouri.  He 
afterwards  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business  in  St.  Louis,  and  later  in  Tus- 
cumbia,  Alabama.  He  conceived  the  idea 
and  successfully  carried  out  the  project 
of  building  a  railroad  from  that  place  to 
Decatur,  forty-two  miles  across  the  neck 
of  a  great  bend  in  the  Tennessee  river, 
connecting  its  navigable  waters  (the 
water  in  the  neck  being  shallow),  and 
thus  materially  enhanced  the  commerce 
of  that  region.  This  was  in  1834  or  1835, 
and  the  road  was  the  first  west  of  the 
Alleghenies,  and  probably  the  third  in  the 
United  States.  It  is  now  a  link  in  one 
of  the  great  southern  railroads  between 
Memphis  and  Charleston. 

David  Deshler  married  an  English 
woman,  Eleanor,  daughter  of  John  Tay- 
lor. She  was  born  April  17,  1808,  at 
Lancashire,  England.  Their  marriage 
took   place   on    March    17,    1825,   at   St. 


19 


Louis,  Missouri,  and  soon  after  they  re- 
moved to  Tuscumbia,  Alabama.  David 
Deshler  had  three  children :  David  Tay- 
lor Deshler,  born  July  31,  1826;  Charlotte 
Ann,  born  June  13,  1831 ;  and  James 
Deshler,  born  February  18,  1833,  at  Tus- 
cumbia, Alabama.  David,  the  elder  son, 
was  drowned  at  "Gus  Point,"  Hudson 
river,  New  York,  July  17,  1845,  whilst  a 
student  at  the  Military  Academy,  West 
Point.  He  is  buried  in  the  National 
Cemetery  at  West  Point.  James,  the 
other  son,  also  a  cadet,  was  graduated, 
served  in  the  army,  and  lost  his  life  in  the 
battle  of  Chiokamauga,  September  20, 
1863,  aged  thirty  years,  a  brigadier-gen- 
eral, commanding  Texan  brigade.  Con- 
federate army. 

The  daughter  died  April  3,  1844,  at 
twelve  years  of  age.  His  wife,  Eleanor 
died  June  11,  1854,  aged  forty-six  years. 

David  Deshler  was  an  advocate  of  the 
higher  education  for  women,  and  after 
the  death  of  his  son,  James,  in  1863  (the 
last  member  of  his  family),  he  founded  a 
non-sectarian  school  for  the  education  of 
young  women,  located  at  Tuscumbia, 
Alabama,  incorporated  under  the  name 
and  style  of  "The  Deshler  Institute;"  to 
said  institute  he  made  a  bequest  of  his 
property  at  Tuscumbia,  Alabama,  in  his 
will ;  following  a  description  of  which,  he 
says :  "forming  and  comprising  the 
square  of  lots  on  which  my  home  resi- 
dence is  located,  and  upon  which  is  situ- 
ated the  house  in  which  James  Deshler 
(in  memory  of  whom  the  above  institute 
was  named  and  incorporated)  was  born." 
"Deshler  Institute"  is  still  in  existence, 
and  continuing  its  good  work  in  educa- 
tion at  this  writing  (1914).  At  the  time 
of  his  death  Mr.  Deshler  owned  extensive 
properties  in  and  near  the  city  of  Minne- 
opolis,  Minnesota. 

After  moving  to  the  south,  David 
Deshler  evidently  became  a  member  of 
the  Baptist  church.  A  man  of  high  prin- 
16 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ciples  and  unswerving  integrity,  he  was 
yet  of  a  genial,  kindly  nature.  Personally, 
he  was  of  fine  presence,  tall,  straight,  and 
of  dignified  bearing.  David  Deshler  died 
suddenly,  on  December  5,  1872,  aged  sev- 
enty-four years,  two  months  and  twenty- 
five  days.  He  is  buried  with  his  family 
in  the  cemetery  at  Tuscumbia,  Alabama. 

John,  the  third  son  of  David  Deshler, 
first  above  mentioned,  lived  at  Waterloo, 
New  York.  He  had  children :  David, 
Walter,  and  Harriet.  Walter  has  a  son, 
D.  J.  Frank. 

Marie,  daughter  of  David  and  Cathar- 
ine (Fogel)  Deshler,  died  aged  eight 
years. 

Deborah,  daughter  of  David  and  Cath- 
arine (Fogel)  Deshler,  married  Peter 
Schantz.  They  had  two  children :  Walter 
D.,  who  was  married  and  had  children: 
Mary,  Sarah,  Walter,  and  Irene;  and 
Ellenora  C.  M.,  who  married  John  G. 
Wink.  They  had  two  children :  John 
D.,  married  to  Esther  Cressman ;  they 
have  three  children :  David  D.,  Charles 
F.,  and  Robert  W. ;  and  Caroline,  married 
to  Jesse  Esser. 

Catharine,  youngest  child  of  David  and 
Catharine  (Fogel)  Deshler,  was  married 
to  Louis  K.  Hottenstein.  They  had  one 
son,  Daniel  K.  Hottenstein,  who  was  mar- 
ried to  Emma  E.  Stichler.  They  have 
three  children :  Anna  C,  married  to 
Charles  A.  Hottenstein,  who  have  one 
daughter,  Myrl  F.  Hottenstein ;  Louis  V. 
Hottenstein ;  and  Elda  L.,  married  to  O. 
Raymond  Grimley. 

Juliana  Deshler,  second  daughter  of 
Adam,  the  emigrant,  was  born  May  7, 
1746,  and  died  March  12,  1840.  She  mar- 
ried John  George  Schreiber,  born  De- 
cember 6,  1739,  died  November  6,  1800. 
They  lived  in  Allentown  and  are  buried 
in  the  old  Allentown  cemetery.  They  had 
no  children. 

Barbara  Deshler,  third  daughter  of 
Adam  Sr.,  was  born  November  2,  1747, 


and  died  October  10,  1832.  She  married 
Philip  Boehm,  born  December  14,  1747, 
died  January  10,  1816.  He  was  a  major 
in  the  Revolution  and  a  grandson  of  Rev. 
John  Philip  Boehm. 

Catharine  Deshler,  youngest  daughter 
of  Adam  Sr.,  was  born  in  175 1  and  died 
February  11,  1825.  She  married  Peter 
Kern,  born  1748,  died  May  28,  1821.  fhey 
had  nine  children,  and  are  buried  at  Ham- 
burg, Berks  county,  where  they  resided. 


LATIMORE,  Wilmer  A.,  M.  D., 

Prominent  Eclectic   Practitioner. 

Dr.  Wilmer  Armstrong  Latimore,  a 
representative  of  the  eclectic  school,  has 
now  been  practicing  almost  a  score  of 
years  in  the  Iron  City.  Though  not  a 
native  of  Pittsburgh,  Dr.  Latimore  has 
thus  far  associated  his  entire  professional 
career  with  the  interests  of  the  metropolis. 

John  Latimore,  grandfather  of  Wilmer 
Armstrong  Latimore,  emigrated  from 
County  Tyrone,  Ireland,  to  Westmore- 
land county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  led 
the  life  of  a  farmer.  He  married  before 
leaving  his  native  land. 

Robert  H.,  son  of  John  Latimore  and 
his  wife,  was  born,  it  is  said,  in  Ireland, 
and  was  all  his  life  a  farmer  and  coal 
operator,  being  associated  in  business 
with  Charles  Armstrong  in  Allegheny 
county.  Later  he  went  to  Westmoreland 
county  and  developed  the  Yough  Slope 
mines.  He  was  a  Republican,  and  an 
elder  in  the  United  Presbyterian  church. 
Mr.  Latimore  married  Emily,  daughter 
of  Abraham  Greenawalt,  a  farmer  of 
Lancaster  county,  and  their  children 
were :  Wilmer  Armstrong,  mentioned 
below ;  Gertrude,  wife  of  Dr.  Jacob  H. 
Christman,  of  Pittsburgh ;  Mary  Ellen, 
now  living  in  Pittsburgh ;  and  Margaret, 
wife  of  Ralph  S.  Norwell,  of  Boston, 
Massachusetts.  Mr.  Latimore  died  a  few 
years  since  and  his  widow  is  still  living. 
917 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Dr.  Wilmer  Armstrong  Latimore,  son 
of  Robert  H.  and  Emily  (Greenawalt) 
Latimore,  was  born  October  5,  1869,  at 
West  Newton,  Westmoreland  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  received  his  prepara- 
tory education  in  public  schools  of  his 
birthplace,  afterward  taking  a  two  years' 
course  in  the  classical  department  of 
Westminster  College.  Immediately  there- 
after he  was  associated  by  his  father  in 
the  latter's  business,  being  given  charge 
of  the  coal  mines  at  West  Newton.  A 
business  career,  however,  was  not  his 
ultimate  goal,  and  about  1890  he  began 
to  read  medicine  with  his  uncle.  Dr. 
Jacob  Greenawalt,  afterward  entering  the 
Eclectic  Medical  Institute  of  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  and  graduating  in  1897  with  the 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine.  During 
his  last  year  as  a  student  he  was  engaged 
in  hospital  work. 

After  graduating.  Dr.  Latimore  went  to 
Pittsburgh,  where  for  some  years  he  was 
associated  in  general  practice  with  his 
uncle.  Dr.  Greenawalt,  his  former  pre- 
ceptor. On  February  19,  1907,  Dr.  Green- 
awalt died,  and  Dr.  Latimore  has  since 
practiced  alone.  He  belongs  to  the  Amer- 
ican Medical  Association,  the  Allegheny 
County  Medical  Society,  and  the  Alumni 
Association  of  the  Eclectic  Medical 
Institute,  also  Alpha  Chapter  of  the  Tau 
Alpha  Epsilon  fraternity,  of  which  he 
was  one  of  the  organizers.  He  is  a  thir- 
ty-second degree  Mason,  affiliating  with 
Lodge,  No.  45 ;  Zerubbabel  Chapter,  No. 
162;  Pittsburgh  Commandery,  Knights 
Templar,  No.  i  ;  Pennsylvania  Consist- 
ory, No.  320,  Ancient  and  Accepted  Scot- 
tish Rite ;  and  Syria  Temple,  Nobles  of 
the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  adheres  to  the 
Republican  party,  and  is  a  member  of 
Shady  Side  United  Presbyterian  Church. 
Dr.  Latimore  married,  in  1902,  Nellie 
T.,  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James,  of 
Pittsburgh,  and  they  are  the  parents  of 
one  son:    Wilmer  A.,  born  April  8,  1910. 


Mrs.  Latimore,  who  is  a  woman  of  much 
charm  of  manner  and  a  social  favorite,  is 
a  member  of  the  Thornburg  Country  Club 
and  various  other  golf  and  tennis  organi- 
zations. 


CRONIN,  Charles  I., 

Lawyer,  Antliority  on  Real  Estate  Titles. 

This  well  known  attorney  has  been 
at  the  bar  of  Philadelphia  since  February, 
1893,  and  has  established  a  record  as  a 
conservative  counsellor  in  real  estate  law, 
and  as  a  specialist  in  the  rehabilitation  of 
building  operations  which  have  reached 
the  point  of  receivership  or  bankruptcy. 

Mr.  Cronin  is  a  native  of  Delaware 
county,  and  still  resides  within  the  limits 
of  that  municipality  at  Lansdowne  in  a 
substantial  home  he  erected  some  years 
ago.  Born  in  the  village  of  Glen  Mills, 
in  Thornbury  township,  he  attended  the 
"little  brick  school"  of  his  district,  supple- 
mented by  private  tuition  and  extensive 
reading  and  travel.  After  some  years  on 
a  farm  he  entered  the  mercantile  business 
in  a  grocery  store,  which  also  combined 
the  business  of  the  Pennsylvania  railroad, 
Adams  Express  Company  and  post  officw 
at  Cheyney,  Pennsylvania,  and  after  some 
years  of  active  experience  he  acquired 
the  basis  of  a  substantial  business  educa- 
tion. He  entered  the  law  offices  of  Ed- 
ward A.  Price,  Esq.,  at  Media,  on  April 
16,  18S8,  and  after  three  years'  study, 
during  which  time  he  made  a  specialty  of 
the  examination  of  titles  in  Delaware, 
Chester,  and  Philadelphia  counties,  of 
which  work  Mr.  Price,  his  preceptor,  was 
recognized  as  an  authority,  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  of  Delaware  county,  July  6, 
1891.  His  ability  was  early  recognized 
by  Hon.  Isaac  Johnson,  now  President 
Judge  at  Media,  and  he  entered  his  office 
shortly  after  his  admission,  where  he  re- 
mained until  July  ii,  1892,  when  he 
entered  the  title  department  of  the  Land 
1918 


£h,iyZ:a.ftf/iSa'Ba  ^an,.j\(}r 


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isH-iS  fyli/a„i;al'  /'ui   ^V 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Title  and  Trust  Company  as  an  examiner 
of  real  estate  titles  in  the  various  counties 
of  Eastern  and  Central  Pennsylvania. 
From  this  position  he  was  appointed  in 
May,  1893,  settlement  officer,  vi^hich  he 
filled  until  March  i,  1905,  when  he  re- 
signed to  resume  the  practice  of  law.  In 
the  winter  of  that  year  he  was  elected 
one  of  the  staff  of  lecturers  on  real  estate 
titles,  examinations  and  conveyancing  at 
Temple  College,  now  Temple  University, 
which  position  he  filled  until  1910,  when 
he  retired  by  reason  of  increasing  law 
practice.  In  the  summer  of  1912  he  was 
asked  by  the  university  to  again  resume 
the  position  he  had  formerly  held  and  is 
now  actively  engaged  in  the  duties  of  the 
position.  For  this  work  he  has  recently 
prepared  for  the  private  use  of  the  stu- 
dents a  practical  work  on  examinations 
of  titles  to  real  estate,  law  lectures  there- 
on and  conveyancing  forms.  Many  of 
his  students  are  now  successful  real 
estate  men  and  conveyancers  in  this  city 
and  attest  to  the  value  of  his  worth  as  a 
practical  instructor. 

Mr.  Cronin  is  solicitor  for  the  Central 
Building  Association,  Manufacturers' 
Loan  and  Savings  Association,  Forty- 
third  Ward  Building  and  Loan  Associa- 
tion and  the  Northeast  Boulevard  Build- 
ing and  Loan  Association,  as  well  as  sev- 
eral other  corporations  in  Delaware  coun- 
ty. Mr.  Cronin  is  also  a  member  of  the  bar 
of  Chester  county,  which  county  he  holds 
in  great  favor  and  annually  attends  the 
various  reunions  and  debates  of  the  old 
educational  institutions  of  which  he  was 
a  member  in  his  early  days  and  in  which 
his  interest  still  remains. 


WILLS,  Abner  E., 

Enterprising   Business   Man,    Public    Bene- 
factor. 

The  name  Wills  has  been  an  honored 
one  in  Chester  and  Philadelphia  counties 
since    1728,    when   Michael    Wills    came 


19 


from  County  Wicklow,  Ireland,  until  the 
present  day,  Abner  E.  Wills  having  been 
the  Philadelphia  representative  of  his 
family  for  many  years  prior  to  his  death. 
The  leading  Chester  county  representa- 
tive of  the  family  is  J.  Hunter  Wills, 
merchant  and  justice  of  peace  of  Down- 
ingtown.  Both  are  sons  of  Allen  Wood 
and  Elizabeth  H.  (Evans)  Wills,  of 
Downingtown. 

Michael  Wills,  according  to  tradition, 
was  of  English  descent,  the  family  mov- 
ing to  Wicklow  during  the  rebellion  of 
1788,  either  with  the  British  army  or 
shortly  afterward.  He  was  rated  among 
the  taxables  of  Whiteland  township, 
Chester  county  in  1729,  presumably  mov- 
ing to  Philadelphia  county,  now  Mont- 
gomery county. 

Michael  (2)  Wills,  son  of  the  founder, 
is  buried  in  St.  David's  churchyard  at 
Radnor,  the  inscription  on  his  gravestone 
reciting  in  part:  "Here  lies  interred  in 
full  assurance  of  a  joyful  Resurrection 
the  Body  of  Michael  Wills,  who  after  he 
had  liv'd  through  a  long  course  of  years 
a  pattern  of  Virtue,  Patience  and  Piety 
Exchanged  this  Earthly  for  a  Heavenly 
habitation  on  the  8th  Day  of  Oct.  1794  in 
the  86th  year  of  his  Age."  His  widow, 
Jane  Mather  Wills,  survived  him  ten 
years,  and  is  buried  in  St.  David's  church- 
yard. Their  sons  were  Jeremiah,  Michael, 
and  John. 

Michael  Wills  was  a  resident  of  Ches- 
ter county  where  he  died  January  15, 
1829.  He  married  Ann,  daughter  of 
Andrew  and  Elizabeth  (Keyser)  Wood, 
both  of  German  descent.  They  were  the 
parents  of  fourteen  children,  nine  of 
whom  lived  to  mature  years. 

Allen  Wood  Wills,  eleventh  child  of 
Michael  (3)  Wills,  was  born  February 
23,  1810,  and  died  October  28,  1873.  He 
married  Elizabeth  H.  Evans,  and  spent 
his  business  life  in  Downingtown.  Chil- 
dren :  Rebecca,  married  Dr.  Samuel 
19 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Ringwalt;  Anna,  married  Daniel  Baugh ; 
George  E.,  died  December  31,  1884,  mar- 
ried Tamazine  Zook ;  J.  Hunter  (see  fol- 
lowing sketch)  ;  Abner  E.,  of  further  men- 
tion ;  and  Allen  Wood,  died  unmarried. 

Abner  E.  Wills  was  born  in  East 
Brandywine  township,  Chester  county, 
Pennsylvania,  in  1848,  and  died  at  Denver, 
Colorado,  April  16,  1913.  After  complet- 
ing his  studies  he  entered  business  life, 
becoming  interested  in  the  chemical 
manufacturing  firm  of  Baugh  Sons  & 
Company,  retaining  his  interest  and 
superintendency  of  the  works  in  Phil- 
adelphia until  three  years  prior  to  his 
death,  when  he  retired.  Mr.  Wills  was 
unmarried,  his  residence  in  Philadelphia 
being  at  the  Continental  Hotel. 

While  traveling  in  the  west  he  was 
stricken  with  a  fatal  illness,  dying  in 
Denver.  J.  Hunter  Wills  immediately 
went  to  Denver,  returning  with  all  that 
was  mortal  of  his  brother.  He  rests  in 
Northwood  cemetery. 

Among  other  benefactions  he  be- 
qeathed  in  his  will:  $10,000  to  St.  James 
P.  E.  Church,  $5,000  to  the  Downingtown 
Free  Library,  $5,000  to  the  Methodist 
Hospital,  Philadelphia,  $500  for  a  public 
fountain,  and  made  various  other  similar 
bequests. 


WILLS,  J.  Hunter, 

Civil  War  Veteran,  Enterprising  Citizen. 

J.  Hunter  Wills,  fourth  child  and  sec- 
ond son  of  Allen  Wood  and  Elizabeth  H. 
(Evans)  Wills,  was  born  in  East  Brandy- 
wine  township,  Pennsylvania,  July  2, 
1845. 

He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools, 
Downingtown  Academy,  and  the  Phil- 
adelphia Business  College,  beginning  his 
active  business  career  in  1863  as  an  em- 
ployee of  Baugh  Sons  &  Company,  the 
great    chemical    fertilizer   manufacturing 


company  of  Philadelphia.  For  thirteen 
years  he  occupied  a  position  of  trust  with 
that  company,  then  in  1876  he  established 
a  mercantile  house  in  East  Downingtown, 
beginning  business  on  February  14.  He 
has  since  that  date  been  continuously  in 
business  in  East  Downingtown,  as  mer- 
chant, and  also  serving  as  justice  of 
peace,  rating  as  one  of  the  efficient,  pro- 
gressive, valuable  men  of  his  borough. 
He  conceived  the  idea  of  a  building  and 
loan  association  in  Downingtown,  took 
upon  himself  the  burden  of  the  prelimi- 
nary work,  and  after  organizing  the 
Downingtown  Building  and  Loan  Asso- 
ciation was  elected  its  first  president,  ably 
guiding  the  association  as  chief  executive 
during  the  first  twelve  years  of  its  exist- 
ence. He  serves  on  the  Board  of  Trade, 
and,  as  president  of  Northwood  Ceme- 
tery, greatly  improved  and  beautified  that 
"Silent  city  of  the  dead."  His  influence 
has  been  felt  in  every  phase  of  business 
life  in  his  borough,  being  president  of 
Minquas  Fire  Company,  president  of 
Civic  Association,  member  of  board  of 
directors,  Men's  Club,  Business  Men's 
Club,  and  Free  Library  ;  and  to  him  is  due 
much  of  Downingtown's  prosperity. 

While  emphatically  a  busy  man  of 
afifairs,  Mr.  Wills  has  been  of  the  greatest 
value  in  civic  regulation  of  his  borough. 
As  chief  burgess,  1900-1903  and  1906- 
1909  he  secured  wise  legislation,  ably 
administered  the  civil  government,  and 
during  his  term  many  important  manu- 
facturing plants  located  in  Downingtown. 
For  twelve  years  he  served  upon  the 
school  board,  nine  of  these  years  as  its 
I^resident,  and  was  not  only  a  warm 
friend  of  the  public  school  system  but  an 
untiring  worker  for  its  betterment,  wit- 
nessing during  his  term  a  great  increase 
in  their  efficiency  and  value  to  the  youth 
of  the  borough.  Politically  he  is  in  sym- 
pathy with  the  Republican  party,  has 
920 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


served  as  a  member  of  the  county  com- 
mittee and  has  been  a  factor  in  party  suc- 
cess. 

Mr.  Wills,  although  not  sixteen  years 
of  age  at  the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War, 
in  1861  enlisted  as  a  drummer  boy,  serv- 
ing in  the  Fifty-third  Pennsylvania  Vol- 
unteer Regiment  in  1862,  in  First  Emer- 
gency Regiment  at  battle  of  Antietam, 
and  in  the  Twenty-ninth  Pennsylvania 
Volunteer  Regiment  in  1863,  in  the  Get- 
tysburg campaign.  He  has  ever  been 
prominent  in  the  Pennsylvania  Grand 
Army  of  the  Republic  as  a  member  of 
General  W.  S.  Hancock  Post  No.  255,  as 
chaplain,  trustee,  and  delegate  to  the 
State  department  encampment  as  stafif 
officer  to  the  State  commander  in  1903, 
and  as  national  staff  officer  in  1904. 

Mr.  Wills,  as  a  member  of  the  Down- 
ingtown  Protestant  Episcopal  Church, 
has  served  as  vestryman  for  forty  years, 
and  with  personal  eflforts  and  purse,  aiding 
generously  the  work  of  his  parish.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  order,  affili- 
ating with  Potter  Lodge,  Philadelphia. 
Mr.  Wills  married,  in  1881,  Katharine 
Ellicott  Lindley,  who  died  February  18, 
1898,  leaving  a  son,  William  Mintzer 
Wills,  a  graduate  of  Haverford  College, 
class  of  1904,  now  engaged  in  business  in 
Philadelphia.  He  is  vice-president  of  the 
Diamond  Specialty  and  Supply  Company. 

J.  Hunter  Wills  presented  to  the  school 
a  playground  called  the  J.  Hunter  Wills 
Athletic  Field,  and  the  gift  was  also  sup- 
plemented by  an  equal  amount,  $500.00, 
for  the  fountain  presented  to  Down- 
ingtown  by  his  brother. 


RINEHART,  Stanley  M.,  M.  D., 

Specialist,  Medical  Inspector. 

Dr.  Stanley  Marshall  Rinehart,  Medical 
Inspector  of  Allegheny  county,  is  one  of 
those  Pittsburgh  physicians  who  can  look 
back  upon  twenty-five  years'  practice  in 


the  metropolis.  For  the  last  few  years 
Dr.  Rinehart  has  specialized  in  the  treat- 
ment of  diseases  of  the  chest,  having  long 
taken  an  active  part  in  the  campaign 
against  tuberculosis. 

Stanley  Marshall  Rinehart  was  born 
January  25,  1867,  in  Pittsburgh,  and  is 
a  son  of  the  late  William  and  Louise 
(Gillespie)  Rinehart.  A  biography  of 
Mr.  Rinehart,  with  full  ancestral  record, 
appears  elsewhere  in  this  work.  Stanley 
Marshall  Rinehart  received  his  primary 
education  in  the  schools  of  the  Fourth 
ward  of  his  native  city,  and  afterward 
attended  the  high  school.  Later  he  en- 
tered Adrian  College,  Michigan,  and  in 
1888  graduated  from  that  institution  with 
the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Philosophy. 

The  professional  training  of  Dr.  Rine- 
hart was  received  at  Hahnemann  College, 
Philadelphia,  where  he  completed  his 
course  in  1891,  graduating  as  Doctor  of 
Medicine.  For  two  years  thereafter  he 
served  in  the  Pittsburgh  Homoeopathic 
Hospital,  and  then  opened  an  office  in 
Allegheny.  Until  1910  he  engaged  suc- 
cessfully in  general  practice,  but  in  that 
year  went  to  Europe  for  the  purpose  of 
doing  post-graduate  work,  having  become 
deeply  interested  in  the  progress  of  the 
war  against  tuberculosis.  The  time  he 
spent  abroad  was  devoted  to  the  study  of 
diseases  of  the  chest,  and  since  his  re- 
turn to  Pittsburgh,  after  sojourning  at 
Vienna  and  Berlin,  his  practice  has  been 
exclusively  in  this  department.  For 
twelve  years  Dr.  Rinehart  held  the  posi- 
tion of  city  physician  of  Allegheny,  now 
North  Side,  Pittsburgh,  and  for  a  long 
time  he  served  on  the  Tuberculosis  Com- 
mission of  Pittsburgh,  but  eventually  re- 
signed. Since  1894  he  has  been  Medical 
Inspector  of  Allegheny  county  for  the 
State  Department  of  Health.  He  is  in 
charge  of  the  State  Tuberculosis  Dispen- 
sary in  Pittsburgh  and  in  September, 
1914,  consented  to  serve  on  the  commit- 
921 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


tee  appointed  to  investigate  matters  in 
regard  to  the  furnishing  of  the  new  city 
tuberculosis  hospital.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  American  Institute  of  Homoeopathy, 
the  Pennsylvania  State  Homoeopathic 
Association  and  the  Allegheny  County 
Medical  Homoeopathic  Society  in  which 
he  has  held  various  offices.  In  the  ser- 
vice he  is  rendering  in  the  conflict  with 
tuberculosis  Dr.  Rinehart  is  aiding  in  a 
work  which  is  enlisting  the  best  powers 
of  the  medical  profession  in  the  Old 
World  and  the  New. 

The  political  principles  of  Dr.  Rinehart 
are  those  advocated  by  the  Republican 
party,  and  his  professional  labors  bear 
evidence  to  his  public  spirit.  He  belongs 
to  the  Allegheny  Country  and  Edge- 
worth  Clubs  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  church. 

Dr.  Rinehart  married,  April  21,  1896, 
Mary  E.,  born  August  12,  1876,  in  Pitts- 
burgh, daughter  of  Thomas  Beveridge 
and  Cornelia  (Gilleland)  Roberts,  and 
they  are  the  parents  of  three  sons :  Stan- 
ley Marshall,  born  August  18,  1897,  at- 
tended Shady  Side  Academy,  is  now  a 
student  at  Harvard  University;  Alan 
Gillespie,  born  November  18,  1900,  at- 
tending Morristown  School,  Morristown, 
New  Jersey  ;  and  Frederick  Roberts,  born 
September  14,  1902,  now  at  Sewickley 
Preparatory  School.  Mrs.  Rinehart  is  a 
member  of  the  Twentieth  Century,  Alle- 
gheny Country  and  Edgeworth  Clubs, 
also  belonging  to  the  Suffrage  Club. 

Mrs.  Rinehart,  who  was  educated  in 
public  and  high  schools  of  Pittsburgh,  is 
a  graduate  of  the  Pittsburgh  Training 
School  for  Nurses,  and  in  January,  1915, 
left  her  charming  Pittsburgh  home  and 
went  to  the  front  in  the  European  War 
for  the  purpose  of  carrying  aid  to  the 
wounded.  During  her  two  months' 
absence  Mrs.  Rinehart  went  where  no 
woman  had  ever  been  before,  in  the  very 
first  line  of  trenches  of  the  three  allied 


armies,  and  while  she  brought  back  with 
her  the  memory  of  all  the  horrors  of  the 
field  hospital  service,  she  also  brought 
back  the  recollection  of  the  unfailing  and 
ever-ready  courtesy  shown  her  by  all 
with  whom  she  came  in  contact. 

The  place  occupied  by  Mrs.  Rinehart  in 
the  literary  world  is  too  well  assured  to 
require  mention  here.  Among  her  pub- 
lished works  are  the  following:  "The 
Circular  Staircase,"  1908;  "The  Man  in 
the  Lower  Ten,"  1909;  "When  a  Man 
Marries,"  1909;  "Window  at  the  White 
Cat,"  1910;  "Amazing  Adventures  of 
Letitia  Carberry,"  191 1  ;  "Case  of  Jennie 
Brice ;"  "Where  There's  a  Will ;"  "The 
Street  of  Seven  Stars ;"  "King,  Queens 
and  Pawns,"  and  "K."  She  is  also  the 
author  of  "Double  Life,"  (play),  pro- 
duced in  1907  at  the  Bijou  Theatre,  New 
York.  Mrs.  Rinehart  also  wrote,  in  con- 
junction with  her  husband,  "The 
Avenger,"  (one-act  play),  1908,  and  is 
author  of  "Seven  Days,"  a  successful 
farce  and  other  plays.  She  is  a  member 
of  the  Equal  Franchise  Federation,  the 
Woman's  Club  of  Sewickley  Valley, 
Edgeworth  Club,  Allegheny  Country 
Club,  and  many  other  organizations,  and 
the  Episcopal  church. 


GWINNER,  John  Frederick, 

Financier,  Enterprising  Citizen. 

For  eighty  years  Easton  has  been  the 
scene  of  Mr.  Gwinner's  activity,  and  with 
the  exception  of  his  youthful  years  they 
have  been  years  of  useful,  honorable  con- 
nection with  educational  and  financial 
institutions ;  but  the  major  part  of  his 
long  and  active  life  has  been  devoted  to 
the  banking  business,  and  with  Easton 
banks — in  1857,  the  clerical  novice  in  the 
Farmers  and  Mechanics  Bank;  in  1876, 
cashier  of  the  First  National  Bank;  in 
1890,  president  of  the  same,  and  in  1914, 
ably  filling  the  same  position ;  is  the 
922 


^. 


^/^ 


^/'  iP-Z-l^-i^r. 


^^    , 


c-/  ^  . yV^r— Z^V-J^^^-v'V^/?- 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


record  to  which  Mr.  Gwinner  can  point 
with  justifiable  pride.  In  connection  with 
this  honorable  business  record  there  has 
been  carried  along  through  the  years  a 
useful  civil  record  that  embraced  posi- 
tions of  trust  conferred  by  his  fellow 
citizens  of  Easton,  by  men  in  charge  of 
impoi"tant  educational  institutions,  and  by 
his  brethren  of  the  Masonic  order ;  while 
of  genial  value  and  kindly  spirit,  his 
friends  are  legion  and  numerous  are  the 
occasions  upon  which  he  has  had  public 
demonstration  of  the  high  esteem  in 
which  he  is  held. 

Although  a  native  born  Eastonian  and 
a.  son  of  a  native  born  son  of  Easton,  Mr. 
Gwinner  is  of  German  lineage  and  of  the 
fourth  generation  of  his  family  in  Amer- 
ica. The  pioneer  in  Pennsylvania  was 
Frederick  Gwinner,  born  in  Germany, 
settling  in  Pennsylvania  in  1758.  Seven 
years  later  he  took  out  final  naturaliza- 
tion papers,  the  date  being.  October, 
1765. 

John  Frederick  Gwinner,  son  of  Fred- 
erick Gwinner,  the  founder,  was  born  May 
10.  1765,  and  passed  his  life  in  Easton. 
He  was  engaged  as  abutcher  and  tobacco- 
nist, conducting  business  in  a  building  on 
South  Third  street,  on  the  site  of  the 
Pomfret  Building,  near  the  old  Bulls 
Head  Hotel. 

Francis  Aaron  Gwinner,  son  of  John 
Frederick  Gwinner,  was  born  in  Easton, 
April  27,  1803,  died  April  15,  1863.  He 
learned  the  trade  of  chairmaker,  but  later 
in  life  engaged  extensively  in  brick  manu- 
facturing. While  there  are  many  build- 
ings in  Easton  constructed  of  brick  made 
at  his  yards,  the  most  conspicuous  of 
these  was  the  Northampton  court  house, 
the  brick  used  in  that  building  being  the 
last  he  ever  manufactured.  He  was  a 
man  of  influence  and  high  standing  in 
Easton  serving  as  a  member  of  the  town 
council,  and  as  a  director  of  the  Farmers 
and  Mechanics  Bank.    He  was  a  member 


of  the  Lutheran  church,  that  having  ever 
been  the  family  religious  faith,  i'rancis 
A.  Gwinner  married,  September  5,  1831, 
Sarah  Staufifer,  born  January  9,  181 1,  in 
Plainfield  township,  died  in  Easton,  April 
4,  1881,  surviving  her  husband  eighteen 
years.  She  was  engaged  in  the  millinery 
business  in  Easton  for  several  years,  be- 
ing not  only  a  capable  business  woman, 
but  also  a  trained  milliner.  There  were 
two  children  by  this  marriage,  John  Fred- 
erick, and  Anna  Catherine,  born  June  17, 
1837,  died  January  23,  1839. 

John  Frederick  (2),  onl)  son  of  Francis 
Aaron  and  Sarah  (Staufifer)  Gwinner,  was 
born  in  Easton,  Pennsylvania,  April  9, 
1833.  His  school  years  were  spent  in 
Easton  public  schools  and  at  a  private 
school  in  Port  Colden,  New  Jersey.  After 
completing  his  studies  he  taught  school 
for  two  winters  (1850-52)  at  Tanners- 
ville,  Monroe  county,  Pennsylvania,  spend- 
ing his  summers  with  his  father,  assisting 
him  in  his  brick  manufacturing.  He  next 
taught  in  Easton  schools  (1854-57),  con- 
tinuing until  twenty-four  years  of  age, 
also  holding  a  position  in  the  meteoro- 
logical department  of  Lafayette  College, 
under  Professor  Coffin.  He  finally  severed 
his  connection  with  professional  life,  and 
on  July  8,  1857,  began  his  long  connec- 
tion with  the  institution  of  which  he  has 
for  a  quarter  of  a  century  been  the 
honored  head.  He  began  on  the  date 
named  as  clerk  in  the  Farmers  and  Me- 
chanics Bank,  and  continued  in  that  and 
more  advanced  positions  until  the  incor- 
poration of  the  bank  as  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Easton  in  1865.  He  had  won  the 
regard  of  the  management  of  the  old  bank, 
and  after  the  merger  was  continued  and 
advanced  to  more  responsible  station.  In 
1876  he  was  chosen  cashier,  a  position  he 
held  for  fourteen  years,  only  to  surrender 
it  at  the  demand  of  the  directors  of  the 
bank,  who  had  advanced  him  to  the  presi- 
dency.     His    fitness  for    this    honorable 

923 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


position  was  unquestioned,  and  time  has 
only  more  clearly  shown  the  wisdom  of 
the  choice.  Conservative,  yet  not  timor- 
ous, he  has  led  the  First  National  along 
the  sometimes  devious  paths  of  modern 
finance,  with  an  eye  single  to  the  sacred- 
ness  of  his  trust,  and  with  a  wisdom  born 
of  knowledge,  experience  and  conscious 
integrity.  Skilled  in  the  laws  regulating 
banks  and  banking  transactions,  he  made 
every  transaction  conform  with  the  law 
and  firmly  established  precedent  that  is 
the  bank's  law.  He  gained  the  entire  con- 
fidence of  the  banking  public  and  became 
an  authority  on  points  involving  finance. 
While  he  has  surrendered  the  more  ardu- 
ous duties  of  his  office  to  younger  and 
trusted  subordinates,  President  Gwinner 
is  daily  at  his  post  and  the  directing  head 
as  of  yore.  He  has  proved  a  wise  executive, 
an  able  financier  and  one  thoroughly  alive 
to  his  responsibilities  as  the  guiding  head 
of  a  great  financial  institution.  In  civil 
affairs  he  has  ever  taken  a  deep  interest 
serving  as  treasurer  of  Easton,  as  direc- 
tor of  schools,  and  aiding  with  purse  and 
influence  all  efforts  to  advance  the  inter- 
ests of  his  native  city.  For  many  years 
he  was  a  trustee  of  Pennsylvania  College, 
giving  valuable  service  to  that  institution. 
He  has  ever  been  an  adherent  of  the  Re- 
publican party,  but  has  never  sought  or 
accepted  political  preferment,  although  he 
has  been  valiant  in  the  political  service 
of  his  friends.  In  religious  faith  he  is 
true  to  the  family  traditions  and  is  a 
communicant  of  the  Lutheran  church. 

Mr.  Gwinner's  Masonic  record  is  an 
interesting  one  particularly  so,  from  the 
fact  that  he  is  now  the  oldest  living  mem- 
ber of  Easton  Lodge,  No.  152.  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons.  He  was  initiated  an 
(entered  apprentice  on  St.  John's  Day, 
1857;  was  advanced  and  raised  in  lawful 
season,  and  on  St.  John's  Day,  i8=;8,  was 
installed  junior  warden,  the  third  ofifice 
in  importance  in  the  lodge.     He  passed 


•fo  the  senior  warden's  station,  and  then 
became  worshipful  master,  being  one  of 
the  oldest  past  masters  in  the  State.  He 
has  also  taken  all  the  degrees  of  Capitular 
Masonry,  joining  Easton  Chapter,  No. 
173,  Royal  Arch  Masons,  in  1868,  fiUing^ 
all  stations  in  that  chapter,  of  which  he 
is  a  past  high  priest.  In  Cryptic  Ma- 
sonry he  has  taken  all  degrees,  and  is  a 
past  thrice  illustrious  master  of  Pomp 
Council,  No.  20,  Royal  and  Select  Mas- 
ters. In  Templar  Masonry  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Hugh  De  Payens  Commandery, 
Knights  Templar,  and  in  1894  was  elected 
eminent  commander  of  that  body.  By 
virtue  of  these  high  offices  he  is  also  a 
member  of  the  grand  bodies  of  these 
orders  in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania.  He 
is  held  in  high  esteem  by  his  Masonic 
brethren,  who  on  the  occasion  of  his 
golden  wedding  presented  him  a  "Grand- 
father's Clock"  of  beautiful  design  and 
costly  material. 

Mr.  Gwinner  married,  November  3, 
1853,  at  Port  Golden,  Warren  county.  New 
Jersey,  Martha  Jane  Harris,  born  October 
13,  1832,  daughter  of  Samuel  Harris,  Rev. 
P.  L.  Jacques  performing  the  marriage 
ceremony.  Fifty  years  later  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Gwinner  celebrated  their  fiftieth  wedding 
anniversary  at  their  home  in  Easton, 
more  than  two  hundred  people  extending 
congratulations  during  the  evening,  two 
of  them  having  been  present  at  the  wed- 
ding in  1853,  one  of  them  Mrs.  Rebekah 
A.  Annin,  of  Paterson,  New  Jersey,  hav- 
ing been  bridesmaid.  Among  the  many 
substantial  tokens  of  regard  was  one 
from  the  board  of  directors  of  the  First 
National  Bank ;  another  from  the  board 
of  managers  of  the  Home  for  Aged  and 
Infirm  Women,  of  which  Mrs.  Gwinner 
was  a  member;  and  the  "Grandfather's 
Clock"  from  Mr.  Gwinner's  friends  in  the 
different  Masonic  bodies,  previously 
mentioned.  The  latter  gift  was  not  pre- 
sented   until    the    following    Christmas, 


1924 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


when  Mr.  Gwinner  was  assembled  with 
his  fellow  Sir  Knights  to  honor  their 
ygrand  commander,  according  to  their 
annual  custom.  Enjoying  the  confidence 
and  esteem  of  all  who  know  him,  and 
secure  in  his  portion  of  this  world's  goods, 
Mr.  Gwinner  reviews  his  long  and  useful 
life  with  satisfaction.  He  has  fought  a 
good  fight  and  kept  the  faith. 


MILLER,  Harold  A.,  M.  D., 

Specialist,  Hospital  Official. 

Aggressiveness  wisely  directed  is  the 
hallmark  of  a  Pittsburgher  and  it  is  not, 
as  some  appear  to  think,  an  attribute 
which  belongs  exclusively  to  her  business 
men.  On  the  contrary,  it  distinguishes 
to  a  high  degree  her  members  of  the 
learned  professions  and  more  especially, 
perhaps,  her  physicians  and  surgeons. 
Certain  it  is  that  among  these  there  is  to 
be  found  no  one  who  more  strikingly 
illustrates  the  truth  of  the  statement  than 
Dr.  Harold  Applegate  Miller,  one  of  the 
leading  specialists  of  the  Iron  City. 
More  than  twenty  years  ago  Dr.  Miller 
came  to  Pittsburgh  as  a  student  and  his 
entire  career  has,  thus  far,  been  associated 
exclusively  with  the  metropolis. 

Addison  Miller,  father  of  Harold 
Applegate  Miller,  was  born  in  Ohio,  and 
was  a  son  of  Stephen  and  Nancy  Miller, 
and  was  a  member  of  Company  H,  105th 
Regiment,  Ohio  Volunteers.  Addison 
Miller  engaged  in  the  oil  business  in  his 
native  State  and  also  New  York,  and 
married  Kizzie  H.,  daughter  of  John  H. 
and  Jane  (McCandless)  Thompson.  Mr. 
Miller  died  March  28,  1908. 

Harold  Applegate,  son  of  Addison  and 
Kizzie  (Thompson)  Miller,  was  born 
September  20,  1873,  '"  Alliance,  Ohio, 
and  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  Butler,  Pennsylvania,  and  at 
Grove  City  College.  He  was  fitted  for 
his  profession  in  the  Medical  Department 


of  the  University  of  Pittsburgh,  graduat- 
ing in  1899  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Medicine.  After  serving  for  a  time  as 
interne  in  the  Pittsburgh  Hospital  for 
Children,  Dr.  Miller  was  placed  on  the 
stafif  of  the  West  Pennsylvania  Hospital, 
and  entered  upon  a  career  of  general  prac- 
tice. In  1902,  however,  he  went  to  Ger- 
many and  did  post-graduate  work  at  the 
University  of  Heidelberg.  On  his  return 
he  became  a  specialist,  devoting  himself 
exclusively  to  obstetrics,  in  which  he  has 
ever  since  had  a  large  and  steadily  in- 
creasing practice,  being  regarded  as  one 
of  Pittsburgh's  most  skillful  practitioners 
in  his  own  special  department  of  the  pro- 
fession. In  1903  he  was  made  obstetri- 
cian to  the  Allegheny  General  Hospital. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  American  College 
of  Surgeons,  the  Pittsburgh  Academy  of 
Medicine,  the  American  Medical  Asso- 
ciation, the  Pennsylvania  State  Medical 
Association  and  the  Allegheny  County 
Medical  Society. 

In  politics  Dr.  Miller  is  an  Independent 
Republican,  and  devotes  as  much  atten- 
tion to  the  consideration  of  public  affairs 
as  the  pressing  demands  of  his  profes- 
sional duties  will  allow.  He  affiliates 
with  Dallas  Lodge,  No.  78,  Free  and  Ac- 
cepted Masons,  and  belongs  to  the  Uni- 
versity and  Oakmont  Country  clubs,  the 
Nu  Sigma  Nu  fraternity,  and  the  Sons 
of  the  American  Revolution.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Second  Presbyterian 
Church. 

It  is  sometimes  said  of  a  man,  by  way 
of  description,  that  "he  looks  what  he  is," 
and  of  no  one  could  this  statement  be 
made  with  greater  truth  than  of  Dr. 
Miller.  Deeply  read  in  all  that  pertains 
to  his  profession  and  extraordinarily  skill- 
ful in  the  application  of  his  knowledge, 
the  lines  of  his  face  and  the  glance  of 
his  eye  indicate  alike  the  profound  reflec- 
(tiveness  of  the  student  and  the  alert  energy 
of  the  executant.    Most  emphatically,  "he 

925 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


looks  what  he  is" — the  learned,  intensely 
progressive  physician  and  withal  the 
thorough  gentleman. 

On  March  28,  1904,  Dr.  Miller  married 
Katherine,  daughter  of  Dr.  George  Rich- 
mond Kirk  and  Anna  (Dagg)  Kirk,  of 
Washington,  Pennsylvania,  and  they  are 
the  parents  of  two  children :  William 
B.,  born  January  i,  1910;  and  Harold 
Applegate  Jr.,  born  Januaiy  13,  1912.  Dr. 
and  Mrs.  Miller  enjoy  a  high  degree  of 
social  popularity  and  their  home  is  a 
centre  of  hospitality  for  their  many 
friends.  Mrs.  Miller,  a  charming  hostess, 
is  essentially  a  home-maker  and  it  is  her 
husband's  greatest  delight  to  spend  every 
hour  which  he  can  spare  from  duty  in 
the  domestic  circle. 

While  the  medical  profession  numbers 
among  its  representatives  men  like  Dr. 
Harold  Applegate  Miller  there  will  be  no 
lack  of  vitalizing  energy  to  develop  and 
impress  upon  the  world  the  great  truths 
so  essential  to  the  well-being  of  the 
human  race. 

Dr.  Miller's  great-great-grandfather, 
Nathaniel  Fish,  served  in  the  War  of  the 
Revolution ;  his  great-grandfather,  Wil- 
liam McCandless,  served  in  the  War  of 
1812;  his  father  served  in  the  Civil  War 
of  1861-65,  which  adds  a  bright  military 
record  to  his  history. 


HARTON,  Theodore  M., 

Manafaoturer  and  Inventor. 

Theodore  Marshall  Harton,  president 
and  manager  of  the  T.  M.  Harton  Com- 
pany, is  one  of  those  progressive  and 
thoroughly  modern  business  men  who  are 
generally  (and  with  reason)  regarded  as 
peculiarly  typical  of  Pittsburgh.  Mr. 
Harton  is  a  man  with  a  wide  range  of 
interests,  and  is  earnestly  devoted  to  the 
promotion  of  the  welfare  of  his  native 
city. 


Theodore  Marshall  Harton  was  born 
October  23,  1863,  in  Pittsburgh,  and  is  a 
son  of  the  late  Theodore  Marshall  and 
Emily  (Rinehart)  Harton.  The  boy  was 
educated  in  schools  of  the  metropolis,  and 
when  the  time  came  for  him  to  engage 
in  the  active  work  of  life  went  into  the 
produce  business  on  his  own  account.  A 
spirit  of  enterprise,  however,  was  always 
one  of  Mr.  Harton's  dominant  character- 
istics, and  this  led  him,  ere  many  years 
had  passed,  to  seek  a  new  and  compara- 
tively untried  field.  In  1893  he  embarked 
in  the  business  of  building  Ferris  wheels, 
toboggans,  all  kinds  of  roller  coasters,  and 
the  various  other  inventions  and  appli- 
ances used  for  furnishing  amusement  in 
parks.  It  was  then  that  he  organized  the 
T.  M.  Harton  Company,  becoming  its 
president  and  manager.  The  success  of 
the  venture  was  immediate  and  has  stead- 
ily augmented.  Mr.  Harton  is  president 
of  West  View  Park,  the  largest  amuse- 
ment park  in  the  city  and  one  of  the 
finest  in  the  country,  and  he  is  also  a 
director  in  a  number  of  subsidiary  com- 
panies. 

The  political  allegiance  of  Mr.  Harton 
is  given  to  the  Republican  party,  and  he 
is  a  member  of  the  Americus  Republican 
Club.  He  belongs  to  the  Pittsburgh 
Athletic  Association,  and  attends  the 
East  Liberty  Presbyterian  Church.  His 
appearance  and  manner  are  thoroughly 
expressive  of  the  traits  of  character  which 
have  insured  his  success. 

Mr.  Harton  married,  June  18,  1907, 
Mrs.  Laura  Barker,  daughter  of  William 
M.  Wallace,  of  Pittsburgh.  Mr.  Wallace, 
who  is  now  deceased,  was  engaged  in  the 
glass  business.  Mrs.  Harton  has  a  son 
by  her  former  marriage :  Wallace  Barker, 
born  June  8,  1901.  She  is  a  charming 
woman,  and  both  she  and  her  husband 
are  socially  popular. 


1926 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


GOLDEN,  William  A., 

Liaiiryer,  Civic  Endeavor  Xieader. 

William  Augustine  Golden,  attorney,  of 
Pittsburgh,  has  a  record  of  thirty  years' 
successful  practice  in  that  city,  after 
several  years'  career  in  Baltimore.  Lat- 
terly Mr.  Golden  stood  in  the  front  rank 
of  civic  workers ;  having  been  officially 
connected  with  local  organizations  labor- 
ing in  the  interest  of  reform. 

William  Golden,  father  of  William  Au- 
gustine Golden,  was  a  descendant  of 
pioneer  settlers  of  Maryland,  and  in 
early  life  abandoned  the  Lutheran  church 
for  the  Catholic,  of  which  his  mother  was 
a  member.  He  married  Mary  Ann 
(Wivell,  of  one  of  the  old  Catholic  families 
of  the  Crescent  State,  and  of  their  four 
children,  three  of  whom  were  sons,  Joseph 
A.  and  William  Augustine  are  mentioned 
below. 

Joseph  A.  Goulden  (who  retained  the 
original  spelling  of  the  family  name),  was 
born  August  i,  1844,  iri  Adams  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  in  May,  1864,  enlisted 
in  the  United  States  navy,  serving  until 
1866.  He  was  for  a  time  engaged  in  the 
insurance  business,  and  from  1884  to 
1888  was  State  manager  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Reformatory.  From  1895  to  1898 
he  was  a  school  commissioner  of  New 
York  City.  In  politics  he  was  a  Demo- 
crat, and  in  1902  was  elected  to  Congress 
from  the  Eighteenth  New  York  District, 
being  reelected  in  1904,  1906  and  1908. 
In  1910  he  declined  reelection,  and  in 
1912,  on  an  unsolicited  nomination,  was 
elected  for  a  fifth  term.  In  1914  he  was 
once  more  chosen,  but  did  not  live  to 
serve  out  his  term.  Mr.  Goulden  was 
manager  and  president  of  the  New  York 
State  Soldiers'  and  Sailors'  Home,  Bath, 
New  York,  and  secretary  and  member  of 
the  commission  that  erected  the  Soldiers' 
and  Sailors'  Memorial  Monument  in  New 
York  City.    Mr.  Goulden  married,  in  De- 


cember, 1867,  Isabelle  Allwein.  His 
death  occurred  in  May,  1915.  Both  as 
a  private  citizen  and  a  member  of  Con- 
gress, Mr.  Goulden  was  an  earnest  and 
influential  advocate  of  every  worthy 
cause,  standing  always  for  a  broad  liberal 
policy  in  local  as  well  as  national  affairs, 
and  in  his  daily  life  furnishing  an  illus- 
tration of  the  words  which  were  ever  his 
rule  of  conduct  and  principle  of  action — 
"Public  office  is  a  public  trust." 

William  Augustine  Golden  was  born 
June  28,  1857,  at  Taneytown,  Carroll 
county,  Maryland,  and  educated  chiefly  at 
Eagleton  Institute,  Taneytown,  Berkeley 
Academy,  Martinsburgh,  West  Virginia, 
and  Rock  Hill  College,  Ellicott  City, 
Maryland.  In  his  youth  Mr.  Golden  had 
a  strong  inclination  toward  the  priest- 
hood and  became  a  Jesuit  novice,  but 
was  eventually  obliged  to  withdraw  by 
reason  of  frail  health. 

After  a  succession  of  varied  occupa- 
tions Mr.  Golden  registered  September 
20,  1877,  as  a  law  student  with  State 
Senator  Joseph  M.  Gazzam,  of  Pittsburgh, 
now  of  Philadelphia,  but  concluded  his 
course  with  United  States  District  Attor- 
ney Henry  H.  McCormick.  On  January 
8,  1880,  on  motion  of  William  B.  Negley, 
he  was  admitted  to  the  Allegheny  county 
bar.  On  March  16  of  the  same  year  he 
became  a  member  of  the  bar  of  Baltimore, 
and  on  November  14,  1882,  was  admitted 
to  that  of  Westminster,  Maryland.  For 
several  years  Mr.  Golden  practiced  in 
Baltimore,  but  in  October,  1S85,  returned 
to  Pittsburgh ;  where  he  has  since  con- 
tinuously devoted  himself  to  the  work  of 
his  chosen  profession.  He  is  a  notary- 
public  of  twenty-three  years'  standing. 

In  Catholic  lay-society  work  for 
many  years  he  occupied  a  position  in  the 
very  front  rank.  His  connection  with  it 
began  in  July,  1875,  and  in  1888-89-90  he 
was  the  originator  of  the  forerunner  or 
vanguard  of  the  present  flourishing  Amer- 
927 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ican  Federation  of  Catholic  Societies, 
which  prototype  was  developed  chiefly 
through  the  medium  of  the  Pittsburgh 
Pioneer  Diocesan  Council,  composed  of 
about  four  hundred  delegates  of  varied 
nationalities.  Its  two  public  civic  dem- 
onstrations, taking  place  respectively  on 
February  22,  1889,  and  July  4,  1890,  were 
headed  by  him  and  constituted  an  epoch 
in  local  history.  On  March  2,  1890,  he 
personally  called  on  and  that  evening  had 
assembled  over  a  score  of  the  official  rep- 
resentatives of  six  leading  Baltimore 
society-unions,  resulting  in  the  founding 
of  an  archdiocesan  council,  and  the  fol- 
lowing day  had  an  extended  audience 
there  on  the  subject  with  the  approving 
Cardinal-Archbishop.  Meanwhile  his  pen 
was  not  idle.  A  notable  pamphlet  of 
which  he  was  the  author,  learnedly  dis- 
cussing the  ripe  occasion  for  the  move- 
ment-at-large,  was  submitted  to  all  the 
chief  diocesan  authorities  north  of  Mexico 
and  widely  circulated  both  in  the  United 
States  and  Canada.  It  was  endorsed  by 
the  entire  Catholic  press  of  the  two  coun- 
tries, the  Montreal  "True  Witness"  re- 
producing the  brochure  on  its  front  page. 

In  recognition  of  such  prodigious  and 
wholly  voluntary  service,  the  late  Bishop 
Phelan  appointed  him  a  diocesan  delegate 
to  each  of  the  two  American  Catholic 
congresses,  held  respectively  in  Baltimore 
in  November,  1889,  and  in  Chicago  in 
September,  1893.  According  to  "The 
Catholic  Mirror,"  of  the  former  city,  in 
the  earlier  of  these  distingnished  conven- 
ticles, his  "brief,  extemporaneous  speech 
on  'Catholic  Literature'  captured  the 
congress." 

In  local  civic  endeavor  in  Pittsburgh, 
he  has  prominently  and  popularly  figured, 
more  especially  in  1910  and  191 1.  During 
those  years  he  was  a  founder  and  presi- 
dent of  the  Uptown  Board  of  Trade,  vice- 
president  of  the  twenty-one  Allied 
Boards  and  aflfiliated  bodies  of  like  char- 


acter, and  an  active  member  of  the  West- 
ern Pennsylvania  Historical  Society.  He 
has  been  for  many  years  a  member  of 
St.  Brigid's  parish,  Pittsburgh,  and  long 
served  as  secretary  of  its  former  school- 
board.  For  twenty-three  years  he  has 
been  a  member  of  Sacred  Heart  Branch, 
No.  34,  C.  M.  B.  A. ;  has  affiliated  nearly 
as  long  with  the  Y.  M.  I.,  and  more  re- 
cently became  a  member  of  Marquette 
Council,  No.  435. 


BACKENSTOE,  Martin  John,  M.  D., 

Practitioner,  Financier,  Fnblic  Official. 

One  of  the  most  exacting  of  all  the 
higher  lines  of  occupation  to  which  a  man 
may  lend  his  energies  is  that  of  the  physi- 
cian, and  among  those  in  Emaus,  Penn- 
sylvania, who  devote  their  time  and  atten- 
tion to  the  practice  of  medicine  and  have 
gained  a  leading  place  in  the  ranks  of  the 
profession  is  Dr.  Martin  John  Backenstoe, 
a  representative  of  a  family  that  has  been 
established  in  the  Keystone  State  for 
many  centuries,  contributing  in  large  de- 
gree toward  promoting  the  varied  inter- 
ests of  the  communities  in  which  the 
various  members  are  located. 

Henry  Backenstoe,  the  pioneer  ances- 
tor of  the  line  herein  followed,  was  a 
resident  of  Dauphin  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  was  respected  and 
esteemed  for  his  many  excellent  char- 
acteristics, which  were  transmitted  in 
large  degree  to  his  descendants.  He  mar- 
ried Margaret  Fusser,  and  among  their 
children  was  John  Backenstoe,  who  was 
born  in  Dauphin  county,  Pennsylvania, 
February  20,  1806,  and  died  at  Macungie, 
Lehigh  county,  Pennsylvania,  April  12, 
1881.  During  his  early  life  he  removed 
from  his  native  county  to  Lehigh,  locating 
in  Macungie,  where  he  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  his  days,  and  by  the  exercise 
of  thrift  and  energy  was  enabled  to  pro- 
vide a  comfortable  home  for  his  family 
928 


^^.^^^''^ii-e^C^a^.or...^^ 


.^^fm^u^ib  ^Ct-n.^t^c^<L^  6g4,<-y^^&^<!^£xg^^i. 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


and  a  competence  for  his  declining  years. 
He  married  Theresa  Wescoe,  born  Octo- 
ber 8,  1809,  died  in  1891,  daughter  of 
Philip  Henry  and  Margaret  (Stahler) 
Wescoe.  Their  children  were:  i.  Leah 
M.,  born  in  December,  1828,  died  Octo- 
ber 22,  1909;  married  (first)  Daniel 
Yeager,  and  (second)  Samuel  Schmoyer. 
2.  Margaret,  born  January  24,  1830,  died 
in  1893 ;  married  (first)  Perry  Weaver, 
and  (second)  William  Yeager.  3.  Jonas 
W.,  born  January  24,  1832,  died  August 
30,  1900;  married  Lovina  Kemmerer  and 
resided  at  Limeport.  4.  Anna  Marie,  born 
April  2,  1834,  died  in  March,  1858;  mar- 
ried Mahlon  Artman,  of  Philadelphia, 
who  was  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Artman, 
Treichler  &  Company.  5.  John  Joseph, 
born  November  6,  1836,  died  January  6, 
1896;  married  Sarah  Finck;  they  resided 
at  Emaus.  6.  Jacob  Martin,  of  whom 
further.  7.  Lucinda,  born  November  6, 
1840;  married  William  Yeakel,  of  Emaus. 
8.  Tillia  M.,  born  December  27,  1842,  died 
June  17,  1852.  9.  Elias,  born  March  6, 
1844,  died  July  16,  1863.  10.  Emma  J., 
born  March  24,  1846;  married  Ambrose 
Schantz.  11.  William,  born  August  5, 
1850,  died  in  infancy.  12.  William  Alfred, 
born  November  16,  1852,  died  February 
22,  1908;  married  Louisa  Kuntz,  of 
Macungie. 

Jacob  Martin  Backenstoe,  father  of  Dr. 
Martin  John  Backenstoe,  was  born  Octo- 
ber 6,  1838,  at  Macungie,  Lehigh  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  died  at  Emaus,  Lehigh 
county,  Pennsylvania,  December  19, 
1895,  after  an  active  and  well-spent  life, 
leaving  behind  him  the  heritage  of  an 
untarnished  name.  He  was  reared  and 
educated  in  his  native  county,  and  in 
1867,  the  year  following  his  marriage,  he 
assumed  the  management  of  the  farm  be- 
longing to  his  father-in-law,  Martin  Kem- 
merer, and  continued  its  successful  oper- 
ation until  the  year  1888.  when  he  retired 
from   active  pursuits,  and   spent  his  re- 


maining years  in  the  borough  of  Emaus. 
His  wife,  Mary  A.  ( Kemmerer j  Backen- 
stoe, whom  he  married  in  1866,  bore  him 
three  children:  Martin  John,  of  whom 
further;  William  Alfred,  born  in  1871, 
and  Sylva  Tacy,  born  in  1876.  Mrs. 
Backenstoe  continues  to  reside  in  Emaus. 
Dr.  Martin  John  Backenstoe  was  born 
in  Salisbury  township,  Lehigh  county, 
Pennsylvania,  October  9,  1867.  He  was  a 
student  in  the  public  school  adjacent  to 
his  home,  pursued  advanced  studies  at 
Muhlenberg  College,  entering  the  pre- 
paratory department,  then  entered  the 
Chesbrough  Seminary  at  Rochester,  New 
York,  from  which  institution  he  was 
graduated  in  1887,  after  which  he  ma- 
triculated in  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania at  Philadelphia,  graduating  from 
its  medical  department  in  1890,  receiving 
the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine.  In 
1892  he  was  graduated  from  the  Post- 
Graduate  Medical  School  of  New  York, 
and  three  years  later  he  went  abroad  and 
pursued  advanced  studies  in  medicine  at 
the  Albert  Ludwig  University  in  Frei- 
burg, Baden,  Germany,  and  in  the  Gen- 
eral Hospital  of  Vienna,  Austria.  Being 
thus  well  prepared  for  his  chosen  profes- 
sion, he  engaged  in  a  general  practice  in 
Emaus,  and  by  close  application  and  per- 
severance, coupled  with  ability  of  a  high 
order,  soon  built  up  a  reputation  for  him- 
self, his  patients  being  numbered  among 
the  representative  families  of  the  com- 
munity. He  is  a  progressive  physician, 
and  keeps  abreast  of  the  times  by  con- 
stant research  and  study.  For  about 
twelve  years  he  served  as  president  of 
the  Emaus  Board  of  Health.  His  activi- 
ties are  by  no  means  limited  to  his  profes- 
sional duties,  as  will  be  shown  by  the 
following  statement  of  facts  :  He  was  one 
of  the  organizers,  and  for  more  than  a 
decade  has  been  president  of  the  Emaus 
National  Bank ;  a  director  for  the  past 
eighteen  years  of  the  Second  National 
929 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Bank  of  Allentown,  Pennsylvania,  and 
was  a  member  of  the  common  council  of 
the  borough  of  Emaus  from  1908  to  1912, 
having  been  elected  on  the  Republican 
ticket.  He  is  a  staunch  adherent  of  the 
Moravian  church,  and  holds  membership 
in  the  following  societies :  Lehigh  County 
Medical  Society,  of  which  he  is  an  ex- 
president;  Allentown  Academy  of  Medi- 
cine, American  Medical  Association,  Med- 
ical Society  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania, 
National  Geographic  Society  of  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.,  American  Academy  of  Po- 
litical and  Social  Science  of  Philadelphia 
(Life),  the  Academy  of  Political  Science 
of  the  City  of  New  York,  and  Pennsyl- 
vania Forestry  Association. 

Dr.  Backenstoe  married,  November  14, 
1893,  Agnes  Louise  Seler,  born  in  Allen- 
town, Pennsylvania,  August  26,  1875, 
daughter  of  Charles  and  Agnes  (Doering) 
Seler,  the  former  named  born  in  1841, 
died  in  1875,  and  the  latter  named  a 
daughter  of  Adolf  Doering,  of  Mauch 
Chunk,  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Seler  were  the  parents  of  three  other 
children :  Amelia,  the  wife  of  Francis 
Kleckner;  Maria,  wife  of  Richard  Flexer, 
D.  D.  S.,  of  Allentown,  and  Dr.  Charles 
A.  Seler,  who  died  in  1903.  Mrs.  Back- 
enstoe also  had  a  half-brother,  Martin 
Kemmerer,  a  clerk  in  the  Second  National 
Bank  of  Allentown.  Mrs.  Backenstoe 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of 
Allentown,  and  Assumption  School,  at 
Assumption,  Illinois,  which  she  attended 
for  one  year.  During  the  period  of  her 
husband's  study  in  Germany,  Mrs.  Back- 
enstoe, who  accompanied  him,  took  a 
course  in  music  in  Freiburg.  Mrs.  Back- 
enstoe, who  is  an  industrious  and  faithful 
wife  and  model  mother,  is  also  actively 
interested  in  the  welfare  of  the  public 
schools  and  the  Young  Women's  Chris- 
tian Association,  and  figures  prominently 
in  all  social  and  civic  movements  in  her 
native  town.    She  was  admitted  to  mem- 


bership in  St.  Michael's  Lutheran  Church, 
Allentown,  in  1890.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Back- 
enstoe are  the  parents  of  six  children : 
Eldon  Martin,  born  August  18,  1894,  died 
February  10,  1895;  Miers  Seler,  born 
January  30,  1896;  Gladys  Seler,  July  16, 
1897;  Dorothea  Seler,  January  16,  1899; 
Gerald  Seler,  August  27,  1903 ;  Althea 
Seler,  July  11,  1907.  The  Backenstoe 
family  is  one  of  prominence  in  the  com- 
munity, being  people  of  sterling  worth, 
and  they  enjoy  the  sincere  regard  of  a 
large  circle  of  friends. 


McCREADY,  J.  Homer,  M.  D., 

Practitioner  and  Professional  Instmotor. 


During  the  early  years  of  the  twentieth 
century  the  medical  profession  of  Pitts- 
burgh has  been  recruited  from  a  body  of 
young  men  who  have  infused  into  their 
chosen  work  an  element  of  vigor  and 
enthusiasm  which  augurs  well  for  the 
future  of  medical  science.  Noteworthy 
among  these  physicians  of  the  new 
era  who  are  now  coming  forward  to  fill, 
in  the  course  of  time,  the  places  of  their 
noble  predecessors,  is  Dr.  J.  Homer  Mc- 
Cready,  Instructor  in  Laryngology  at  the 
University  of  Pittsburgh  and  already 
numbered  among  the  city's  successful 
practitioners.  Dr.  McCready  is  a  repre- 
sentative of  one  of  the  old  families  of 
Western  Pennsylvania,  distinguished  in 
the  revolutionary  period  of  our  history 
and  now  numbering  several  members  in 
the  medical  profession. 

Robert  McCready,  great-grandfather  of 
J.  Homer  McCready,  was  born  in  Scot- 
land, and  in  1772  emigrated  to  the  Amer- 
ican colonies.  After  working  for  a  time 
on  a  farm  in  New  Jersey  he  went  to  York 
county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  followed 
the  calling  of  a  schoolmaster  until  the 
outbreak  of  the  Revolutionary  War. 
Without  delay  he  took  up  arms  in  the 
service  of  his  adopted  country,  enlisting 
1930 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


in  the  Continental  army  and  marching 
and  fighting  under  the  orders  of  Washing- 
ton. Subsequently  he  returned  to  York 
county  and  in  the  autumn  of  1776  re- 
moved to  Western  Pennsylvania,  settling 
near  Eldersville,  Washington  county,  on 
a  farm  of  three  hundred  and  thirty-two 
acres  now  occupied  by  Robert  B.  W.  Mc- 
Cready.  He  held  the  office  of  county 
commissioner  and  for  many  years  served 
as  justice  of  the  peace.  During  the  War 
of  1812  he  served  as  adjutant  in  the  Lis- 
bon company.  A  man  of  commanding 
presence,  with  a  voice  of  unusual 
strength,  he  seemed,  in  these  respects,  as 
well  as  by  coolness,  courage  and  self- 
control,  well  fitted  for  military  duties. 
In  the  latter  part  of  his  life  Mr.  McCready 
was  a  ruling  elder  in  Cross  Creek  Presby- 
terian Church.  He  died  in  1846,  at  the 
venerable  age  of  ninety-four  years. 

Joseph,  son  of  Robert  McCready,  was 
a  native  of  Washington  county  and  in  the 
course  of  time  removed  to  Columbiana 
county,  Ohio,  where  he  passed  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life.  He  married  Martha 
Campbell  and  their  children  were :  Cyn- 
thia J.,  wife  of  Robert  Smith,  of  Ashland 
county,  Ohio ;  Margaret  A.,  wife  of 
Thomas  Cameron,  of  Onslow,  Jones 
county,  Iowa ;  James  Campbell,  men- 
tioned below ;  Robert  J.,  and  Joseph  A., 
the  two  last-named  being  Pittsburgh  phy- 
sicians. Mr.  McCready  passed  away  in 
the  seventy-fifth  year  of  his  age. 

James  Campbell,  son  of  Joseph  and 
Martha  (Campbell)  McCready,  was  a 
builder,  real  estate  broker  and  insurance 
agent  of  Pittsburgh,  and  married  Mary, 
daughter  of  Philip  Mcintosh.  They  were 
the  parents  of  four  children :  Mary 
Belle,  wife  of  A.  J.  Worley,  of  Pitts- 
burgh ;  Avie,  of  Pittsburgh ;  R.  A.,  in 
real  estate  business  in  Pittsburgh;  and 
J.  Homer,  mentioned  below.  The  death 
of  Mr.  McCready  occurred  in  August, 
1914. 

PEN— Vol  VI— 7  I 


J.  Homer  McCready,  son  of  James 
Campbell  and  Mary  (Mclntoshj  Mc- 
Cready, was  born  February  18,  1882,  in 
Columbiana  county,  Ohio,  and  received 
his  education  in  local  public  and  high 
schools.  Choosing  to  devote  himself  to 
the  profession  of  medicine  he  entered 
Jefferson  Medical  College,  graduating  in 
1906  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medi- 
cine. For  one  year  thereafter  Dr.  Mc- 
Cready served  as  interne  in  the  West 
Pennsylvania  Hospital  and  then  went  to 
Vienna  for  post-graduate  work,  making 
a  study  of  diseases  of  the  ear,  nose  and 
throat.  In  1908  he  returned  to  Pitts- 
burgh and  began  practice  as  a  specialist 
in  these  ailments,  meeting  from  the  out- 
set with  favorable  recognition  and  acquir- 
ing a  steadily  increasing  clientele.  Since 
191 1  he  has  been  instructor  in  laryn- 
gology at  the  University  of  Pittsburgh, 
and  since  1914  has  served  on  the  staff  of 
the  Eye  and  Ear  Hospital.  The  profes- 
sional organizations  of  which  he  is  a 
member  include  the  American  College  of 
Surgeons,  the  American  Laryngological, 
Rhinological  and  Otological  Society,  the 
American  Academy  of  Ophthalmology 
and  Laryngology,  the  College  of  Physi- 
cians, the  American  Medical  Association, 
the  Pennsylvania  State  Medical  Associ- 
ation and  the  Allegheny  County  Medical 
Society. 

Politically  Dr.  McCready  is  a  Repub- 
lican, and  has  never  been  found  wanting 
in  the  public  spirit  which  has  always  been 
a  characteristic  of  his  family.  He  belongs 
to  the  University  Club  and  the  Phi  Beta 
Pi  fraternity  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Sixth  Presbyterian  Church. 

The  personality  of  Dr.  McCready  is 
that  of  a  man  of  great  mental  activity, 
strong  reasoning  powers  and  keen  per- 
ceptive faculties.  His  countenance  bears 
the  imprint  of  these  qualities  and  also 
reflects  that  kindness  of  heart  essential  to 
the  character  of  the  true  physician.  He 
931 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


makes  friends  easily  and,  what  is  more, 
holds  them  long. 

Dr.  McCready  married,  December  3, 
1912,  Jean  Alice,  daughter  of  William  S. 
and  Emma  (Chapman)  Brown,  of  Pitts- 
burgh, and  they  have  one  son :  James 
Homer,  born  September  20,  1913.  Mrs. 
McCready,  who  was  educated  at  the  Na- 
tional Park  Seminary,  Washington,  Dis- 
trict of  Columbia,  is  a  woman  of  culture 
and  charm  and  Dr.  McCready  is  never  so 
contented  as  in  those  hours  which  the 
demands  of  an  exacting  profession  permit 
him  to  spend  in  his  own  home. 

For  nearly  half  a  century  the  name  of 
McCready  has  been  associated  in  West- 
ern Pennsylvania  with  military  and  civic 
virtue  and  excellence  in  the  medical  pro- 
fession. The  career  of  Dr.  J.  Homer 
McCready  places  the  record  of  another 
successful  physician  on  the  pages  of  the 
family  annals. 


DuBois,  James  T., 

Joiirnalist,  Antlior,  Diplomat. 

The  history  of  the  DuBois  family,  to 
which  belonged  James  T.  DuBois,  littera- 
teur and  diplomat,  is  one  of  great  inter- 
est, beginning  from  the  coming  of  the 
Huguenot  brothers,  Louis  and  Jacques 
DuBois,  from  France  to  New  Amster- 
dam, about  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth 
century. 

Abraham  DuBois,  a  direct  descendant 
of  Jacques,  located  in  New  Jersey,  where 
he  married,  having  three  sons,  Abraham^ 
Nicholas  and  Minna.  Abraham  became 
a  wealthy  jeweler  of  Philadelphia,  and 
owned  vast  tracts  of  land  in  Northeast- 
ern Pennsylvania.  He  sent  his  brother 
Minna  DuBois  to  Great  Bend,  Susque- 
hanna county,  to  take  charge  of  his  land- 
ed interests.  Minna  remained  there  and 
became  prominent,  married  and  had  two 
children  by  his  first  wife :  Abraham  (2) 
and  Jane  A. 


Abraham  (2)  DuBois,  also  was  an  ex- 
tensive landowner,  and  in  1815  built  the 
well-known  saw  mill  that  is  still  stand- 
ing. He  was  very  public-spirited,  and  in 
company  with  John  McKinney  built  upon 
a  commanding  site  a  Presbyterian  church, 
and  was  always  one  of  its  earnest  devout 
supporters.  In  181 1  he  married  Juliet 
Bowes,  who  bore  him  thirteen  children, 
nine  of  whom  lived  to  mature  years. 

Joseph,  born  in  1812,  eldest  child  of 
Abraham  (2)  DuBois,  held  many  posi- 
tions of  honor  and  trust  in  his  native 
town  of  Great  Bend,  Pennsylvania,  and 
was  regarded  highly  as  a  conscientious 
faithful  official.  He  was  noted  for  his 
public  spirit,  and  did  much  to  add  to  the 
attractiveness  of  his  town.  He  married, 
in  1840,  Enroy,  only  daughter  of  Ben- 
jamin Taylor.  Their  oldest  son  Richard 
became  a  captain  in  the  United  States 
regular  army ;  James  T.,  the  second  son, 
is  of  further  mention ;  William,  moved  to 
Kansas ;  Addison,  became  an  attorney  of 
Washington,  D.  C,  while  Abraham,  the 
youngest,  married  Abbie,  daughter  of 
Henry  McKinney,  and  settled  in  Great 
Bend. 

James  T.  DuBois,  second  son  of  Joseph 
DuBois,  was  born  in  the  village  of  Great 
Bend,  Susquehanna  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, April  17,  1851.  At  the  age  of  thir- 
teen years  he  entered  the  printing  office 
of  the  "Northern  Pennsylvanian,"  pub- 
lished in  Great  Bend  borough,  and  there 
learned  the  printer's  trade.  After  his 
apprenticeship  was  ended  he  entered 
Ithaca  (New  York)  Academy,  whence  he 
was  graduated  with  honors  in  1870.  The 
following  year  he  began  the  study  of  law 
at  Columbian  University,  at  Washington, 
D.  C,  but  in  his  second  year  left  college 
to  accept  the  position  of  assistant  editor 
of  the  "National  Republican,"  a  journal 
then  known  as  the  organ  of  the  Grant 
administration.  After  two  years  as  assist- 
932 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ant,  he  was  appointed  chief  editor,  con- 
tinuing in  that  position  until  the  summer 
of  1877,  when  he  resigned.  The  same 
year  he  was  appointed  by  President 
Hayes  as  commercial  agent  at  Aix-la- 
Chapelle,  Germany,  and  in  1881  was  pro- 
moted to  United  States  Consul  of  that 
city.  In  the  fall  of  1883  he  was  recalled 
and  appointed  by  President  Arthur  to  the 
more  responsible  and  lucrative  consulate 
at  Calloa,  Peru ;  for  personal  reasons  he 
declined  the  appointment,  but  succeeded 
in  obtaining  a  transfer  to  the  important 
post  of  consul  at  Leipsic,  Saxony,  a  post 
he  held  until  January,  1886,  when  he  re- 
signed and  returned  to  the  United  States. 
The  following  is  the  letter  received  from 
the  assistant  Secretary  of  State,  accepting 
his  resignation : 

Department  ok  State, 
Washington,  January  14,  1886. 
James   T.   DuBois,  Esq.,    Consul   of   the    United 
States  at  Leipsic: 
Sir: — I  have  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your 
despatch  of  the  2nd  instant,  tending  your  resig- 
nation of  the  office  of  consul  at  Leipsic  and  in 
reply  to  inform  you  that  the  same  is  accepted  to 
take  effect  on  this  date. 

I  take  this  occasion  to  express  the  Department's 
appreciation  of  the  zeal  and  fidelity  you  have  dis- 
played in  the  performance  of  the  duties  connected 
with  the  offices  you  have  held  under  it  and  to 
assure  you  that  your  retirement  from  the  consular 
service  is  recognized  as  the  loss  of  a  faithful 
efficient  officer. 

I  am,  sir  your  obedient  servant, 

Jas.  D.  Porter, 
Assistant  Secretary. 

While  abroad  Mr.  DuBois  perfected 
himself  in  German  and  French  and  while 
at  Aix-la-Chapelle  wrote  two  volumes, 
one  entitled  "An  Hour  with  Charle- 
magne," the  other  "In  and  About  Aix-la- 
Chapelle."  The  following  is  an  extract 
from  a  letter  written  by  Postmaster-Gen- 
eral Vilas,  of  the  Cleveland  administra- 
tion, concerning  the  first-named  volume : 


I  sat  dovk'n  with  the  great  Charles  last  evening 
and  was  so  interested  by  your  presentation  that 
ceased  only  with  its  close.  Your  sketch  is  de- 
lightful. It  lifts  the  splendid  story  out  of  the 
darkness  and  shows  what  a  wonderful  creation 
and  creator  a  great  man  is.  Had  Bacon's  phi- 
losophy then  been  known,  modern  civilization 
would  have  dated   from   Charlemagne. 

May  I  also  be  allowed  to  commend  the  rich 
and  flowing  style  in  which  you  bear  your  readers 
blissfully?  I  shall  hope  to  enjoy  other  products 
of  so  deft  a  pen. 

After  his  return  from  abroad,  bringing 
a  wife,  Mr.  DuBois  again  became  con- 
nected with  the  "National  Republican," 
published  at  Washington,  D.  C,  having 
charge  of  the  "Consular  edition"  of  that 
journal.  He  spent  his  winters  in  Wash- 
ington, his  summers  at  Hallstead,  Susque- 
hanna county,  where  he  was  the  pro- 
prietor of  "Spring  Farm,"  a  tract  beauti- 
fully situated  on  the  picturesque  Susque- 
hanna river,  that  has  been  owned  in  the 
family  for  one  hundred  years.  On  this 
farm  is  situated  the  mountain  "Mano- 
tonome,"  from  the  summit  of  which  a 
wonderful  view  unfolds.  He  conducted 
several  miles  of  road  and  footways  about 
the  mountain,  making  it  a  favorite  resort 
for  the  people. 

In  1897  Mr.  DuBois  was  again  called 
into  the  diplomatic  service  of  his  country, 
being  appointed  by  President  McKinley 
consul-general  of  the  United  States  at  St. 
Gall,  Switzerland,  where  he  continued 
until  1901.  In  that  year  he  was  appointed 
minister  to  the  United  States  of  Colum- 
bia. He  was  always  an  active  Republi- 
can ;  a  member  and  vice-president  of  Dis- 
trict of  Columbia  Chapter,  Sons  of  the 
American  Revolution,  and  connected  with 
other  social  and  political  organizations. 

While  abroad  Mr.  DuBois  married 
Emma,  daughter  of  Henry  Paster,  of  Aix- 
la-Chapelle,  Germany,  who  bore  him  two 
sons. 


1933 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


McCLAIN,  Frank  B., 

Iiieutenant-GoTernor  of  Pennsylvania. 

The  city  of  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania, 
though  forced  to  surrender  Frank  B.  Mc- 
Clain,  for  five  years  her  chief  executive, 
to  the  higher  duties  of  the  State,  whose 
service  he  entered  on  January  i,  191 5.  in 
the  office  of  Lieutenant-Governor,  never- 
theless retains  him  as  citizen  and  business 
man.  Mr.  McClain  is  a  native  of  Lancas- 
ter, a  product  of  her  schools,  and  in  this 
city  has  found  public  prominence  and 
business  prosperity,  and  Lancaster  shares 
largely  in  the  honor  of  his  election  to  his 
high  office  in  the  government  of  the  Com- 
monwealth. 

The  family  of  which  Mr.  McClain  is  a 
member  was  founded  in  this  country  and 
in  Lancaster  by  his  father,  Francis  Mc- 
Clain, who  in  1840  came  from  his  home 
in  Londonderry,  Ireland,  locating  in  Lan- 
caster in  the  following  year.  Francis  Mc- 
Clain was  for  a  time  associated  in  busi- 
ness with  the  McGrann  firm,  then  form- 
ing a  partnership  with  Patrick  Kelley,  a 
connection  that  endured  agreeably  and 
profitably  for  many  years,  the  firm  being 
dealers  in  cattle.  Francis  McClain  re- 
mained in  this  business  until  his  retire- 
ment from  active  affairs.  He  married 
Susan,  daughter  of  Bernard  Mulhatten, 
an  early  resident  of  Lancaster,  and  had 
issue:  Frank  B.,  of  whom  further;  George 
E. ;  Mary  G.,  married  James  Maloney ; 
and  John  C. 

Frank  B.  McClain,  son  of  Francis  and 
Susan  (Mulhatten)  McClain,  was  born  in 
Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,  April  14,  1864. 
As  a  youth  he  attended  the  parochial 
schools  of  Lancaster  and  the  Lancaster 
High  School,  graduating  from  the  latter 
institution  in  the  class  of  1881,  and  upon 
the  completion  of  his  studies  began  busi- 
ness life  in  the  service  of  Levi  Sensenig, 
a  live  stock  dealer  of  the  city,  in  whose 
employ  he  continued  for  a  period  of  eight 


years.  After  severing  his  connection  with 
Levi  Sensenig,  Mr.  McClain  associated 
himself  in  the  live  stock  business  with  the 
firm  of  George  R.  Sensenig  and  Andrew 
F.  Frantz,  as  a  limited  partner,  which 
arrangement  continued  for  several  years, 
when  Mr.  George  R.  Sensenig  withdrew 
from  the  firm,  Mr.  McClain  and  Mr.  A.  F. 
Frantz  continuing  the  business  under  the 
firm  name  of  A.  F.  Frantz  until  the  year 
1900,  when  Mr.  McClain  engaged  inde- 
pendently in  the  purchase  of  and  sale  of 
live  stock  until  1913.  His  present  busi- 
ness, wide  in  dimension  and  flourishing 
in  condition,  is  conducted  as  the  McClain 
Commission  Company,  of  which  he  is  the 
active  head. 

While  laying  the  lines  of  a  business 
that  ranks  among  the  leaders  of  its  line, 
Frank  B.  McClain  has  rendered  service 
to  his  city  and  State  that  has  made  his 
name  a  familiar  one  throughout  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  has  placed  him  with  the  fore- 
most statesmen  and  public  servants  of 
Pennsylvania.  His  public  career  began 
with  his  election  to  the  lower  house  of 
the  State  Legislature  in  1894.  The  favor 
with  which  his  early  efforts  as  a  law- 
maker were  received  by  his  supporters 
was  shown  in  his  reelection  in  1896,  and 
successive  reelections  in  1898-1900-02-04- 
06  and  1908,  constituted  a  true  index  to 
his  continued  popularity.  In  the  course 
of  his  legislative  career,  Mr.  McClain 
served  ably  and  well  on  some  of  the  most 
important  regular  committees  of  the 
house,  and  was  also  appointed  to  mem- 
bership on  several  special  committees,  not 
the  least  important  of  which  was  that 
designated  for  the  investigation  of  the 
office  of  the  State  Treasurer  in  1897,  three 
years  after  his  first  appearance  in  the  leg- 
islature. In  1899  he  was  vice-chairman 
of  the  committee  on  appropriations,  and 
continued  as  such  until  1907.  From  floor 
leader  of  the  house  he  was  elected  speaker 


1934 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


in  1907,  and  in  this  office  appointed  the 
majority  of  the  committee  that  conducted 
the  capitol  investigation  with  such  signal 
success,  the  startling  disclosures  of  the 
committee  and  the  subsequent  drastic 
punitive  measure  due  in  great  part  to  the 
judgment  and  wisdom  with  which  Mr. 
McClain  made  his  selections  for  that 
momentous  task. 

At  the  close  of  the  term  for  which  he 
was  elected  in  1908,  Frank  B.  McClain 
turned  from  the  State  to  the  municipal 
service,  February,  1910,  being  the  suc- 
cessful Republican  candidate  for  the  office 
of  mayor  of  Lancaster,  assuming  office  for 
a  two  years'  term,  which  was  shortened 
four  months  by  a  constitutional  amend- 
ment passed  in  1909.  In  November,  191 1, 
he  was  reelected,  the  term  of  office  having 
been  lengthened  to  four  years,  and  his 
resignation  from  the  chief  executiveship 
took  efifect  January  6,  191 5,  in  order  that 
he  might  qualify  for  the  office  of  Lieuten- 
ant-Governor of  Pennsylvania,  to  which 
he  was  elected  in  November,  1914.  Lancas- 
ter returns  Mr.  McClain  to  the  State  only 
after  she  has  been  the  recipient  of  five 
years  of  the  most  devoted  service.  The 
advancement  and  benefit  of  the  city  of 
his  birth  have  always  been  near  to  Mr. 
McClain's  heart,  and  as  mayor  of  the  city 
he  seized  every  opportunity  to  improve 
her  municipal  institutions,  to  better  her 
government,  and  in  every  way  to  raise 
the  standard,  already  high,  of  Lancaster. 
All  this  and  more,  are  in  the  list  of  the 
accomplishments  of  his  administration, 
and  to  his  next  high  service  he  bears  a 
reputation  as  a  public  official  that  will  en- 
dure the  most  severe  tests  of  examination 
and  publicity. 

Frank  B.  McClain  has  long  been  a 
prominent  figure  in  the  councils  of  his 
party,  the  Republican,  and  as  a  delegate 
has  been  active  in  numerous  party  State 
conventions.      His    connection    with    the 


institutions  of  Lancaster  have  been  many, 
and  all  have  profited  by  his  zealous  inter- 
est and  well-directed  labors.  He  is  iden- 
tified with  several  charitable  and  philan- 
thropic movements,  and  is  a  trustee  of  the 
Home  for  Friendless  Children,  and  a 
director  of  the  Lancaster  Charity  Society. 
Mr.  McClain  is  a  member  of  the  Lancas- 
ter County  Historical  Society,  the  Ham- 
ilton Club,  the  Young  Republican  Club, 
vice-president  of  the  Thaddeus  Stevens 
Industrial  School  of  Lancaster,  a  director 
of  the  A.  Herr  Smith  Library,  and  holds 
membership  in  the  Union  League  and 
the  Manufacturers'  Club,  the  last  two  of 
Philadelphia.  In  1909  Mr.  McClain  was 
the  prime  mover  in  the  organization  of 
the  Lancaster  Live  Stock  Exchange,  an 
association  of  dealers  in  live  stock,  and 
was  elected  its  first  president,  an  office  he 
holds  at  this  time  through  reelection. 

Mr.  McClain  married,  in  1888,  Ellen 
Bernardine  O'Neil. 

Briefed,  the  above  is  the  record  of 
Frank  B.  McClain,  who  has  taken  his 
place  with  the  chief  executives  of  the 
State  of  Pennsylvania.  His  business 
associates  know  him  as  one  guided 
by  fairness  and  principle,  and  this  char- 
acteristic has  led  his  political,  public,  and 
private  life.  Sterling  merit  and  an  attrac- 
tive personality  are  the  open  secrets  of 
his  wide  popularity,  and  many  friends  are 
his  sturdy  champions. 


WILLIAMS,  Alfred  W., 

Latryer   and   Jnrist. 

The  bench  and  bar  of  Pennsylvania 
have  by  their  illustrious  past  laid  upon 
their  representatives  of  the  present  day 
the  task  of  a  difficult  emulation,  and 
nobly  have  they  risen  to  its  accomplish- 
ment— none  more  successfully  than  Alfred 
W.  Williams,  President  Judge  of  Mercer 
county. 

On   his  father's   side.  Judge   Williams 

1935 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


comes  of  ancient  New  England  lineage, 
and  through  his  mother  is  a  descendant  of 
Pennsylvania  ancestors.  Riley  Williams, 
father  of  Alfred  W.  Williams,  was  a  di- 
rect descendant  of  Roger  Williams, 
founder  of  the  colony  of  Rhode  Island, 
and  progenitor  of  a  family  many  members 
of  which  have  been  distinguished  in  our 
Colonial,  Revolutionary  and  national  his- 
tory. Riley  Williams  was  the  son  of  a 
shoemaker  of  Trumbull  county,  Ohio, 
whose  five  sons  all  learned  their  father's 
trade.  Riley,  however,  followed  it  for 
only  a  short  time,  early  becoming  inter- 
ested in  the  development  of  the  oil  in- 
dustry, and  removed  to  Pennsylvania, 
where  the  remainder  of  his  life  was 
passed.  He  held  the  office  of  postmaster 
of  Pithole,  then  in  the  centre  of  the  oil 
district  comprised  in  Chenango  and 
Crawford  counties.  He  married  Rachel 
Porter,  a  native  of  Mercer  county,  and 
the  following  children  were  born  to  them  : 
Alfred  W.,  mentioned  below;  Wilbert  M., 
of  San  Francisco,  California,  general 
manager  of  the  Crocker  Printing  Com- 
pany ;  Julia,  widow  of  William  K.  Naylor, 
of  Corry,  Pennsylvania  ;  and  Ella  M.,  who 
became  the  wife  of  John  Service,  of 
Sharon,  and  who,  with  her  husband,  is 
now  deceased.  Mr.  Williams,  the  father 
of  the  family,  died  in  1865,  being  then 
only  in  middle  life,  and  thus  forming  an 
exception  to  the  rule  of  longevity  which 
prevailed  in  the  diflferent  branches  of  the 
Williams  race.  Mrs.  Williams,  who  also 
belonged  to  a  long-lived  family,  died  Feb- 
ruary 21,  191 1,  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
nine. 

Alfred  W.  Williams,  son  of  Riley  and 
Rachel  (Porter)  Williams,  was  born  De- 
cember 22,  1851,  in  Brookfield  township, 
Trumbull  county,  Ohio,  and  received  his 
early  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Sharon,  whither  the  family  removed  soon 
after  his  birth.  Sharon  was  then  only  a 
small   village,   the   Erie  canal  being  the 


only  public  means  of  travel  and  trans- 
portation. Judge  Williams  was  only 
eleven  years  old  when  the  first  railroad 
was  constructed  at  Sharon,  the  line  being 
laid  through  the  school-house  yard,  and, 
of  course,  necessitating  the  destruction  of 
the  building.  During  the  enforced  inter- 
ruption to  his  education  Judge  Williams 
worked  as  a  nail-feeder  in  the  mill  of 
Coleman,  Westerman  &  Company,  at 
Sharon.  When  the  school  was  reopened 
in  1865  he  resumed  his  attendance,  but 
after  a  few  weeks  left  in  order  to  supply 
the  place  of  a  boy  who  was  employed  in 
the  factory  and  who  had  fallen  ill.  Not 
long  after  the  boilers  blew  up  and  the 
mill  was  closed  for  a  considerable  time 
and  Judge  Williams  then  returned  to 
school,  but  within  a  short  time  was 
obliged,  in  consequence  of  the  death  of  his 
father,  to  resume  work,  being  employed, 
during  the  next  few  years,  as  a  nail-feeder 
in  the  Westerman  Iron  Company  nail 
factory.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  learned 
the  carpenter's  trade,  afterward  acquir- 
ing a  knowledge  of  drafting  and  archi- 
tectural drawing,  in  which  he  engaged  for 
a  number  of  years. 

In  early  manhood  Judge  Williams  be- 
came deeply  interested  in  politics,  and 
soon  rose  into  prominence.  He  was  ap- 
pointed, through  the  influence  of  the  Hon. 
Samuel  H.  Miller,  then  member  of  Con- 
gress from  the  Mercer  district,  to  a  place 
in  the  folding  room  of  the  house,  a  posi- 
tion which  he  lost  by  reason  of  the  elec- 
tion in  1882  of  a  Democratic  Congress. 
It  was  at  this  period  of  his  life  that  Judge 
Williams  turned  his  attention  to  the  law, 
entering  upon  a  course  of  study  in  the 
Law  Department  of  Columbian  Univer- 
sity of  Washington,  D.  C,  and  graduated 
in  June,  1883,  while  still  in  the  folding 
loom  of  the  House,  from  which  he  with- 
drew in  January,  1884.  He  then  secured 
a  position  in  the  office  of  the  supervising 
architect  of  the  Treasury  Department, 
936 


s--jrnjri^-i>fi!i—Tt  -s^r^/vry 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


but  after  a  few  weeks  again  found  himself 
without  employment.  He  had  passed  the 
bar  examination  and  been  admitted  to 
practice  in  the  courts  of  the  District  of 
Columbia,  but  preferred  to  make  his  early 
home  the  scene  of  his  professional  career. 

Accordingly,  on  June  lo,  1884,  Judge 
Williams  returned  to  Sharon,  and  the 
same  month  was  admitted  to  the  Mercer 
county  bar.  He  at  once  opened  an  office 
in  Sharon,  where  he  practiced  continu- 
ously until  January,  1905,  when  he  be- 
came President  Judge  of  Mercer  county, 
having  been  elected  the  preceding  No- 
vember. As  an  attorney,  his  knowledge 
of  the  law  and  skill  as  a  practitioner 
caused  him  speedily  to  take  high  rank 
among  his  professional  brethren,  prac- 
ticing in  all  the  State  and  Federal  courts 
and  also  in  the  courts  of  Ohio,  New  York 
and  Michigan.  As  a  judge  he  has  estab- 
lished an  unimpeachable  reputation  for 
profound  learning  and  strict  impartiality. 
He  holds  court  in  almost  all  the  counties 
in  the  western  part  of  the  State. 

Judge  Williams  is  a  member  of  the 
State  and  County  Bar  Associations  and 
affiliates  with  the  Masonic  order.  In  poli- 
tics he  has  always  been  a  Republican,  but, 
active  as  he  has  been  in  public  affairs, 
has  never  been  known  as  an  office-seeker. 
He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the 
First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Mercer,  in 
the  work  of  which  they  are  actively  inter- 
ested. 

Judge  Williams  married  (first)  March 
29,  1876,  Louise  S.,  daughter  of  Ferdi- 
nand M.  Hull,  of  Sharon,  Pennsylvania, 
and  they  became  the  parents  of  one  daugh- 
ter: Louise  S.,  now  the  wife  of  Gerald  C. 
Dixon,  an  attorney  of  Sharon.  Mrs.  Wil- 
liams died  May  26,  1877,  and  Judge  Wil- 
liams married  fsecond)  December  7, 
1886,  Ida  F.,  daughter  of  Robert  and  Wil- 
helmina  Boyce.  of  Sharon,  becoming,  by 
this  union,  the  father  of  two  children : 
Helene  B.,  graduated  at  Wellesley  Col- 


lege, in  the  class  of  1910,  with  honors; 
and  Alberta,  who  died  at  the  age  of  four 
years.  Judge  Williams  is  a  man  whose 
genial  nature,  combined  with  his  sterling 
traits  of  character,  has  made  him  the  cen- 
tre of  a  circle  of  warmly  attached  friends, 
and  he  and  his  family  are  prominent  in 
the  social  life  of  the  community. 

The  prestige  of  the  legal  profession  in 
Pennsylvania  has  been  ably  maintained 
by  Judge  Williams,  and  his  career  has 
added  another  name  to  the  long  list  of 
honored  judges  of  the  Keystone  State. 


PRENDERGAST,  Edmond  F.,  D.  D.. 

Roman  Catholic  Prelate. 

On  February  24,  1897,  the  beautiful 
Cathedral  of  Saints  Peter  and  Paul  in 
"  Philadelphia  was  filled  with  church  digni- 
taries and  laity  to  do  honor  to  one  of  the 
most  respected  and  esteemed  priests  of 
the  diocese.  Right  Rev.  Edmond  F.  Pren- 
dergast,  V.  G.,  who  had  been  selected  by 
Pope  Leo  XIII  as  Auxiliary  Bishop  of 
the  Archdiocese  of  Philadelphia,  with  the 
title  of  Bishop  of  Scillio.  Cardinal  Gib- 
bons presided  over  the  ceremonies  from 
the  throne,  Archbishop  Ryan  acting  as 
consecrating  prelate,  assisted  by  Bishops 
Horstman  and  Hoban.  Fourteen  years 
later  the  good  Archbishop  Ryan  was 
called  on  high,  and  on  May  27,  191 1, 
Bishop  Prendergast  was  appointed  to 
succeed  him  as  Archbishop  of  the  diocese, 
the  Cathedral  again  witnessing  the  solemn 
ceremonies  attending  his  elevation  to  his 
high  Episcopal  office.  His  selection  by 
Pope  Pius  X  for  the  archbishopric  of 
Philadelphia  was  heartily  welcomed  by 
his  co-religionists  as  a  happy  realization 
of  their  hopes  and  expectations,  as  dur- 
ing his  forty  years  as  pastor  and  bishop 
in  Philadelphia  he  had  acquired  a  familiar- 
ity with  the  people  over  whom  he  now 
presides  such  as  few  others  had  gained, 
and  in  that  long  service  he  had  won  the 

937 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


respect  and  affection  of  his  colleagues  and 
people.  His  early  call  to  the  rectorship 
of  one  of  the  most  important  of  the  city 
parishes,  his  later  call  to  the  duties  and 
responsibilities  of  the  vicar  generalship, 
and  his  selection  as  auxiliary  to  Arch- 
bishop Ryan  all  attest  the  high  estimation 
in  which  he  had  been  held  by  his  own 
church  and  explain  the  universal  joy  felt 
when  it  was  announced  that  he  had  been 
chosen  for  the  dignity  and  honor  of  the 
Arch  Episcopal  office.  The  formality  of 
his  installation  and  the  conferring  of  the 
pallium  followed  the  announcement  of 
his  appointment,  and  on  Wednesday,  July 
26,  igii,  he  was  duly  installed  with  all 
the  form  and  ceremony  attending  induc- 
tion into  the  high  office  he  now  fills. 

Edmond  Francis  Prendergast  was  born 
at  Clonmel,  County  Tipperary,  Ireland, 
in  1843.  He  resided  in  Ireland  until  his 
sixteenth  year,  then,  in  1859,  came  to  the 
United  States,  locating  in  Philadelphia 
and  beginning  his  studies  in  divinity  in 
the  old  seminary  of  St.  Charles  Borromeo, 
at  Eighteenth  and  Race  streets.  On  No- 
vember 17,  1865,  he  was  ordained  a  priest 
of  the  Roman  Catholic  church  by  Bishop 
Wood  and  began  his  ministerial  career  as 
curate  at  St.  Paul's,  with  Father  Sher- 
idan as  rector.  Later  he  was  in  Susque- 
hanna county,  Pennsylvania,  his  success 
there  causing  Bishop  Wood  to  appoint 
him  pastor  at  St.  Mark's,  Bristol,  Penn- 
sylvania, where  he  labored  with  diligence 
to  good  result  in  the  building  of  a  church. 
He  was  then  transferred  to  Allentown, 
Pennsylvania,  and  there  repeated  his  suc- 
cess in  both  spiritual  and  temporal  work, 
again  causing  the  erection  of  a  church. 
In  February,  1874,  he  was  appointed  rec- 
tor of  St.  Malachy's  parish  of  Philadel- 
phia, where  he  won  the  hearts  of  his 
people  and  the  recognition  of  Archbishop 
Ryan,  the  former  by  his  actively  helpful 
ministry,  the  latter  by  his  executive  abil- 
ity and  power  of  administration.    He  was 


one  of  the  first  appointed  to  the  Board  of 
Consultors  of  the  Diocese,  was  soon 
afterward  appointed  vicar  general,  and 
when  the  work  of  the  Protectory  was  in- 
augurated it  was  upon  Bishop  Prender- 
gast's  prudent  counsel  that  the  archbishop 
relied.  On  November  17,  1890,  his  silver 
jubilee  in  the  priesthood  was  celebrated 
by  the  people  of  St.  Malachy's  parish, 
and  in  February,  1899,  his  twenty-fifth 
anniversary  as  rector  of  that  parish.  For 
thirty-seven  years  he  ministered  to  their 
spiritual  needs,  and  when,  in  May,  191 1, 
he  was  appointed  archbishop,  it  was  with 
mingled  feelings  of  extreme  pleasure  and 
sadness  that  the  congregation  of  St.  Mal- 
ach3''s  regarded  his  elevation — pleasure 
that  their  beloved  pastor  had  been  so 
honored  by  the  Pope,  and  sadness  that  he 
was  to  be  no  longer  in  their  midst,  their 
daily  source  of  comfort. 

As  stated,  Archbishop  Prendergast  was 
consecrated  auxiliary  bishop  of  the  Arch- 
diocese of  Philadelphia  with  the  title  of 
Bishop  of  Scillio  on  the  Feast  of  St.  Mat- 
thias, February  24,  1897,  and  for  fourteen 
years  was  the  efficient  incumbent  of  that 
office,  the  close  friend  and  coadjutor  of 
Archbishop  Ryan.  Every  priest  in  the 
diocese  became  his  personal  friend,  he  was 
in  the  most  complete  accord  with  Arch- 
bishop Ryan  in  all  matters  of  church 
policy,  and  to  him  was  due  much  credit 
for  the  prosperity  of  the  See.  When  Arch- 
bishop Ryan  died  in  February,  191 1, 
Bishop  Prendergast  was  virtually  Arch- 
bishop in  the  interregnum  and  performed 
the  necessary  Episcopal  functions  until 
his  official  appointment.  May  27,  follow- 
ing. It  was  especially  fortunate  for  the 
church  in  Philadelphia  that  the  direction 
of  its  affairs  remained  in  the  charge  of 
one  of  her  own  sons,  an  ecclesiastic  know- 
ing and  loving  his  people,  known  and 
loved  by  them. 

On  Wednesday,  July  26,  191 1,  Edmond 
Francis  Prendergast  was  ritually  installed 
93S 


^ 


r  /7i/]aU^A^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  third  Archbishop  of  Philadelphia  in 
the  presence  of  many  church  dignitaries 
and  numerous  laymen.  The  solemn  mass 
was  sung  by  Rt.  Rev.  John  E.  FitzMaur- 
ice,  D.  D.,  Bishop  of  Erie,  and  the  sermon 
was  delivered  by  Rt.  Rev.  M.  J.  Hoban, 
D.  D.,  Bishop  of  Scranton.  On  January 
31,  1912,  he  was  invested  with  the  Pal- 
lium, the  ceremony  taking  place  in  the 
Cathedral,  Cardinal  Gibbons  conferring 
the  Symbol  of  Jurisdiction,  and  to  him 
Archbishop  Prendergast  made  his  oath  of 
allegiance  to  the  Holy  See.  Archbishop 
Prendergast  is  careful  of  every  interest  of 
his  diocese,  but  particularly  urges  the 
value  of  education.  His  wisdom  as  an 
executive  has  been  fully  demonstrated. 
Wholly  devoted  and  thoroughly  conse- 
crated, his  talents  are  all  employed  for 
the  good  of  his  people,  his  years,  seventy- 
two,  being  borne  lightly  and  well.  On 
November  18,  191 5,  he  will  celebrate  the 
fiftieth  anniversary  of  his  ordination  to 
the  priesthood,  forty-one  of  these  years 
having  been  spent  in  Philadelphia  as  rec- 
tor, vicar-general.  Bishop  and  Archbishop. 
Full  of  honors  and  secure  in  the  love  of 
his  people  he  reviews  a  life  of  great  use- 
fulness and  of  honorable  service  to  the 
church  of  his  devotion. 


BORDEN,  Edward  Payson, 

Man  of  Large  Affairs,  Pliilanthropiat. 

From  Normandy  came  Blundel  Bur- 
doun  in  the  train  of  William  the  Con- 
queror, and  on  the  roll  of  Battle  of  Abbey 
his  name  is  found  as  one  of  the  knights 
who  fought  at  Hastings,  1066.  Down 
through  the  centuries  came  the  name  as 
Borden  and  Burden,  borne  with  honor 
by  men  of  notable  achievement,  bearing 
arms,  "Azure,  a  chevron  engrailed  ermine, 
two  bourdens  or  pilgrim's  staves  proper 
in  chief,  and  a  cross-crosslet  in  base,  or;" 
crest,  "A  lion  rampant  above  scroll,  ar- 
gent, on  his  sinister  foot  holding  a  battle 


ax  proper;"  motto — Palma  vxrtuti;  above 
the  crest  "Excelsior." 

In  America  the  record  begins  with 
John  Borden,  who  came  from  England 
under  a  permit  to  emigrate  dated  May 
12,  1635,  bringing  with  him  wife  and  chil- 
dren. Richard  Borden,  son  of  John  Bor- 
den, is  thus  remembered  in  the  Record  of 
Friends  Meeting  of  Newport,  Rhode 
Island:  "Richard  Borden,  of  Ports- 
mouth, Rhode  Island,  having  been  one 
of  the  first  planters  of  Rhode  Island,  lived 
about  seventy  years  and  then  died  at  his 
own  house  belonging  to  Portsmouth.  He 
was  buried  on  the  burial  ground  given  by 
Robert  Dennis  to  the  Friends,  which  is  in 
Portsmouth  and  lieth  on  the  left  hand  of 
the  way  that  goeth  from  Portsmouth  to 
Newport  upon  the  25th  day  of  the  3rd 
month,  1671."  His  widow,  Joan,  survived 
him  eighteen  years,  and  died  July  16,  1688, 
two  years  after  John  Alden,  who  is  sup- 
posed to  have  been  the  last  of  the  May- 
flower Company.  Richard  Borden  held 
many  important  public  ofifices,  was  deputy 
to  the  general  court,  and  a  man  of  con- 
siderable means. 

John  S.  Borden,  son  of  Richard  and 
Joan  Borden,  was  a  man  of  shrewd  busi- 
ness tact  and  sound  judgment.  Within  a 
few  years  after  receiving  his  patrimony  he 
was  known  as  the  owner  of  large  tracts 
of  land  in  Rhode  Island,  New  Jersey. 
Pennsylvania  and  Delaware.  In  fact,  so 
eager  was  he  to  acquire  land  that  he  pub- 
licly announced  :  "If  any  man  has  land  to 
sell  at  a  fair  price  I  am  ready  to  buy  and 
have  the  money  ready  at  my  house  to  pay 
for  it."  He  was  on  intimate  terms  with 
the  Indian  sachem,  "King  Philip,"  who 
said :  "John  is  the  only  honest  white  man 
I  have  ever  known."  He  tried  to  prevent 
King  Philip  from  going  to  war  with  the 
whites,  but  failed,  the  Indian  feeling  hav- 
ing been  too  deeply  wronged.  John  Bor- 
den owned  Hog  Island  and  came  into 
conflict  with  the   Plymouth  government 

939 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


over  his  refusal  to  pay  taxes  to  them. 
He  had  no  end  of  trouble  over  the  matter, 
but  Rhode  Island  finally  established  her 
claim  to  jurisdiction.  John  Borden  was 
a  well  known  Friend,  represented  his 
town  in  the  General  Assembly  from  1680 
to  1708,  and  was  the  most  prominent 
member  of  the  Borden  family.  He  mar- 
ried Mary  Earl. 

Richard  (2)  Borden,  son  of  John  S.  and 
Mary  (Earl)  Borden,  was  born  in  Ports- 
mouth, Rhode  Island,  and  became  one  of 
the  wealthiest  men  of  the  town.  He 
farmed,  bought  and  sold  land,  lumber  and 
ship  timber,  owned  much  Fall  River  prop- 
erty, but  always  remained  on  his  farm, 
situated  on  the  main  road  about  a  mile 
from  the  east  shore  of  Mount  Hope  Bay 
and  two  and  a  half  miles  south  of  the  city 
hall  in  Fall  River.  He  accumulated  a 
large  estate,  which  he  so  invested  and  ar- 
ranged that  it  supported  the  three  suc- 
ceeding generations  without  efifort  of  their 
own  save  to  use  it  and  to  transmit  it  to 
their  successors.  He  married  Innocent 
Warden. 

Thomas  Borden,  son  of  Richard  (2) 
and  Innocent  (Wardell)  Borden,  married 
Mary  Gif^ord,  and  died  at  Tiverton, 
Rhode  Island,  having  passed  a  life  of  ease 
and  comfort  from  his  inherited  wealth. 

Richard  (3)  Borden,  son  of  Thomas 
and  Mary  (Giflford)  Borden,  was  born  in 
1722,  died  July  4,  1795.  Of  all  the  de- 
scendants of  Richard  (2)  Borden,  who 
accumulated  the  Fall  River  estate,  none 
placed  so  high  a  prospective  value  upon 
his  holdings  as  did  his  grandson,  Richard 
(3).  Although  a  man  of  but  average  abil- 
ities, he  became  inspired  when  upon  his 
favorite  topic.  Fall  River  and  its  future. 
His  prediction  invariably  was:  "The  time 
will  come  when  every  dam  on  the  stream 
will  be  sought  after  by  men  who  have  the 
money  to  pay  for  it  at  a  great  price,  and 
every  stone  and  tree  around  Fall  River 
will  be  wanted."    This  prepossession  led 


him  to  hold  every  foot  of  his  land  and  all 
of  his  water  power,  and  succeeding  gener- 
ations of  his  descendants  have  profited 
greatly  by  his  foresight.  He  married 
Hope  Cook  March. 

Thomas  Borden,  son  of  Richard  (3) 
and  Hope  Cook  (March)  Borden,  was 
born  in  1749,  died  May  29,  1831.  He  mar- 
ried Mary  Hathaway.  He  passed  the  life 
of  a  prosperous  landowner,  retaining  title 
to  the  Borden  lands  and  water  power. 
When  Fall  River  became  a  town  in  1803 
it  contained  eighteen  families,  half  of 
these  being  Bordens  owning  a  large  por- 
tion of  the  land  and  water  power,  in  fact, 
Bordens  are  yet  the  largest  land  and  mill 
owners  of  that  city. 

Colonel  Richard  (4)  Borden,  son  of 
Thomas  and  Mar^-  (Hathaway)  Borden, 
was  born  in  Fall  River,  April  12,  1795, 
died  February  25,  1874.  He  spent  his 
early  years,  after  leaving  school,  on  the 
farm,  then  from  1812  to  1820  operated  a 
grist  mill  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  com- 
bining the  occupations  of  miller,  mariner 
and  shipbuilder.  He  enlisted  in  the  army 
in  the  War  of  1812  as  a  private,  rose  to 
the  rank  of  colonel,  and  was  everywhere 
known  as  Colonel  Borden.  In  connection 
with  Major  Bradford  Durfee  he  built 
every  year  a  small  coasting  vessel,  doing 
the  iron  work  in  a  neighboring  black- 
smith's shop  themselves,  after  the  day's 
work  on  the  vessel  was  completed.  This 
work  in  the  blacksmith's  shop  developed 
a  trade  in  iron  products  which  was  the 
beginning  of  the  Fall  River  Iron  Works, 
the  original  company  composed  of  Colo- 
nel Borden,  Major  Durfee,  Holder  Bor- 
den. David  Anthony,  William  Valentine. 
Joseph  Butler,  Abraham  and  Isaac  Wil- 
kinson. The  combined  capital  contri- 
buted amounted  to  $24,000,  soon  reduced 
to  $18,000  bv  the  withdrawal  of  the  Wil- 
kinsons. The  company  prospered,  was 
incorporated  in  1825  with  a  capital  of 
$200,000,   increased   in   1845   to  $960,000. 


1940 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


In  1849  the  company  owned  one  mile  of 
wharf  frontage  and  was  the  largest  water 
front  owner  in  Fall  River.  Colonel  Bor- 
den, from  the  time  of  the  organization  of 
the  company  until  his  death,  1874,  a  per- 
iod of  fifty-three  years,  was  its  treasurer. 
The  Old  Colony  Railroad,  originally 
chartered  to  run  between  Boston  and  Ply- 
mouth, owes  its  Fall  River  and  southern 
Massachusetts  extension  mainly  to  Colo- 
nel Borden,  and,  with  his  brother  Jefifer- 
son  he  established  in  1847  the  Fall  River 
Steamboat  Company.  He  was  president 
of  the  American  Print  Works,  president 
of  the  American  Linen  Company,  presi- 
dent of  the  Troy  Cotton  and  Woolen 
Manufacturing  Company,  president  of 
the  Richard  Borden  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, and  a  director  of  the  Annawan 
Manufacturing  Company.  He  was  presi- 
dent of  the  Fall  River  National  Bank, 
president  of  the  Watuppa  Reservoir 
Company,  all  Fall  River  corporations,  and 
in  addition  was  treasurer,  director,  agent 
and  corporation  clerk  for  the  Fall  River 
Iron  Works  Company.  He  was  as  wide- 
ly known  in  New  York  and  Boston,  was 
president  of  the  Bay  State  Steamboat 
Company,  the  Providence  Tool  Company, 
the  Cape  Cod  Railroad  Company,  and  the 
Borden  Mining  Company,  also  a  director 
of  the  Old  Colony  Railroad  Company. 
Besides  his  great  prominence  as  a  man 
of  affairs  he  was  distinguished  for  his 
liberality  to  charitable  and  educational 
institutions.  His  sympathy  went  out  to 
all  things  that  were  good,  his  views  were 
broad,  true  and  steadfast.  He  was  a  lead- 
ing layman  of  the  Congregational  church, 
his  deepest  interest  being  in  mission  Sun- 
day school  work. 

In  civic  affairs  he  was  equally  active. 
In  Fall  River  he  served  as  assessor  and 
surveyor,  and  represented  the  city  as 
Assemblyman  and  State  Senator.  He  was 
a  presidential  elector  in  1864  on  the  Lin- 
coln ticket  and  was  a  tower  of  strength  to 


the  Union  cause.  He  gave  the  Soldiers' 
Monument  and  lot  at  the  entrance  to  Oak 
Grove  Cemetery  and  so  endeared  himself 
to  the  old  soldiers  by  his  patriotism  and 
generosity  that  Richard  Borden  Post, 
Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  was  their 
tangible  testimonial  of  gratitude. 

Colonel  Borden  married,  in  1828,  Abby 
Walker,  daughter  of  James  and  Sally 
(Walker)  Durfee,  also  of  a  distinguished 
Massachusetts  family.  Children:  i.  Caro- 
line, born  September  20,  1829.  2.  Colonel 
Thomas  J.,  a  manufacturer  of  Fall  River, 
married  Mary  E.  Hill.  3.  Richard  B.,  born 
February  21,  1834,  married  Ellen  M.  Plum- 
mer.  4.  Edward  Payson,  of  further  men- 
tion. 5.  William  Henry  Harrison,  born 
September  13,  1840,  died  in  Mentonne, 
France,  January  3,  1872;  during  the  Civil 
War  he  was  in  command  of  steamers 
transporting  troops  on  the  Potomac  and 
James  rivers ;  after  the  war  he  com- 
manded the  "State  of  Maine"  of  the 
Stonington  Line,  and  the  "Canonicus," 
running  between  Fall  River  and  Provi- 
dence ;  he  married  Miss  F.  J.  Bosworth. 

6.  Matthew  C.  D.,  born  July  18,  1842,  mar- 
ried Harriet  M.  Durfee  ;  he  was  one  of  the 
well  known  manufacturers  of  Fall  River. 

7.  Sarah  W.,  born  May  13,  1844,  married 
Alphonso  S.  Covel. 

From  such  ancestry  comes  Edward 
Payson  Borden,  now  one  of  Philadel- 
phia's honored  retired  business  men,  but 
yet  officially  connected  with  distinctive 
Borden  institutions  and  Philadelphia  cor- 
porations and  philanthropies.  He  pos- 
sesses the  qualities  of  mind  and  heart  that 
are  a  part  of  the  Borden  heritage,  as  well 
as  the  business  energy,  executive  ability, 
and  liberality  of  his  father.  Long  past 
man's  allotted  "three-score  and  ten"  he 
retains  a  forceful  connection  with  busi- 
ness interests,  although  the  burdens  of 
active  leadership  have  been  transferred  to 
younger  shoulders. 

Edward  Payson  Borden  was  born  in 
941 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Fall  River,  Massachusetts,  February  12, 
1836,  son  of  Colonel  Richard  (4)  and 
Abby  Walker  (Durfee)  Borden,  and  of 
the  ninth  American  generation  of  his  fam- 
ily. He  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Fall  River,  finishing  his  studies 
virith  a  year's  course  in  chemistry  at 
Lawrence  Scientific  School,  Cambridge, 
Massachusetts.  His  father's  large  manu- 
facturing interests  ofi^ering  a  field  con- 
genial to  his  tastes,  he  early  entered  busi- 
ness life  and  has  ever  been  identified  with 
the  large  Borden  interests  in  Fall  River 
and  elsewhere.  He  attained  high  stand- 
ing in  the  business  world  and  held  re- 
sponsible executive  position  in  many  cor- 
porations, being  president  of  the  Rich- 
ard Borden  Manufacturing  Company, 
president  of  the  Borden  Mining  Company, 
vice-president  of  the  Pulaski  Iron  Com- 
pany, vice-president  of  the  Merchant's 
Fund,  of  Philadelphia,  member  of  the 
Board  of  Managers  of  the  Western  Sav- 
ings Fund  Society,  of  Philadelphia,  and 
director  of  the  Real  Estate  Trust  Com- 
pany. On  December  31,  1886,  Mr.  Bor- 
den retired  from  active  business,  but  yet 
retains  official  connection  with  several 
corporations.  His  broad  sympathy  has 
led  him  to  devote  a  portion  of  his  time 
to  philanthropic  institutions,  his  present 
official  connection  being  as  president  of 
the  Pennsylvania  Working  Home  for 
Blind  Men,  and  as  member  of  the  Board 
of  Managers  of  Howard  Hospital.  He  is 
a  Republican  in  politics,  and  a  communi- 
cant of  the  Tenth  Presbyterian  Church. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Council  of  the 
New  England  Society  of  Pennsylvania, 
the  Harvard  Club,  the  Union  League,  and 
the  Manufacturers'  Club,  all  of  Philadel- 
phia. 

Mr.  Borden  married,  in  Fall  River, 
Massachusetts,  September  29,  186'^,  Mar- 
garet Lindsay,  daughter  of  Rev.  Thomas 
R.  and  Ann  Glendav  Durfee.  He  has  one 
child,     Edward     Shirley     Borden,     born 


March  11,  1867.  Since  1864  Philadelphia 
has  been  the  family  home,  their  present 
residence  No.  2038  Spruce  street.  Mr. 
Borden's  business  offices  are  at  No.  421 
Chestnut  street. 


BRUBAKER,  Albert  Philson,  M.  D., 

Professional  Instructor  and  Author. 

Since  his  graduation  from  Jefferson 
Medical  College  in  1874,  Dr.  Brubaker 
has  been  a  resident  of  Philadelphia,  con- 
stant in  the  service  of  his  honored  alma 
mater  as  demonstrator,  lecturer,  adjunct 
professor  and  professor  of  physiology  and 
hygiene.  In  point  of  years  of  continuous 
service  he  is  the  oldest  man  connected 
with  Jefiferson  Medical  College,  his  years 
of  association  numbering  forty. 

He  was  graduated  March  11,  1874,  and 
the  following  April  returned  to  the  col- 
lege, and  of  all  the  men  then  connected 
with  the  college  is  the  last  survivor  in 
its  service.  For  the  first  ten  years  he 
conducted  a  private  practice,  then,  sac- 
rificing the  emoluments  of  practice,  gave 
himself  entirely  to  the  cause  of  science 
and  the  service  of  "Old  Jefiferson."  He 
has  never  been  the  conventional  "profes- 
sor," but  has  been  a  boy  with  his  boys, 
has  kept  his  heart  young,  and  while  he 
has  given  them  his  very  life,  they  have 
gladdened  his  way  by  loving  appreciation 
and  constant  remembrance.  On  birth- 
days and  general  festivals  of  remembrance 
letters,  cards,  and  loving  expressions 
come  literally  from  all  over  the  world.  In 
his  hours  "off  duty"  and  during  vacation 
periods,  no  matter  whether  it  be  in  Phil- 
adelphia, distant  parts  of  his  own  land,  or 
in  Europe,  he  is  met  by  the  glad  hand- 
clasp of  medical  or  dental  practitioner, 
and  the  old  friendly  relations  are  resumed. 
A  teacher  for  forty  years,  Professor  Bru- 
baker is  yet  youthfully  alert,  quick  of 
eye,  sharp  of  wit.  He  has  always  loved 
his  work,  never  has  looked  upon  it  as 
942 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


less  than  a  labor  of  love,  and  yet  loves  it. 
He  has  kept  pace  with  the  vital  activities 
of  the  subject  in  which  he  interests  him- 
self, and  they  are  many  and  varied.  He 
possesses  and  exercises  the  rare  gifts  of 
common  sense,  observation,  and  judg- 
ment, and  always  takes  a  broad  gauge 
view  of  changing  conditions  in  medical 
education.  With  his  wide  range  of  study, 
travel,  and  contact  with  his  fellow  men 
his  personal  attributes  have  become  well 
rounded.  A  strict  disciplinarian  and  re- 
spected as  such,  yet  most  afifable  and 
considerate  towards  students  and  col- 
leagues, tolerant  of  all  truths,  endowed 
with  singularly  happy  equipoise,  broad 
sympathy,  and  carefully  developed  tal- 
ents, Professor  Brubaker  is  eminently 
fitted  for  the  chair  he  now  fills. 

He  is  a  descendant  of  early  German 
families  in  Pennsylvania,  the  Brubakers 
moving  from  Lancaster  to  Somerset 
county  in  1784.  John  Brubaker,  the 
founder  of  the  family  in  Somerset  county, 
settled  in  Brothers  Valley  township, 
where  his  sons  and  grandsons  were,  for 
the  most  part,  tillers  of  the  soil.  Major 
John  Brubaker,  grandfather  of  Dr.  Albert 
P.  Brubaker,  of  Philadelphia,  was  always 
a  resident  of  Berlin,  Somerset  county.  He 
was  born  in  1776,  and  died  in  1851  from 
wounds  received  during  his  service  in  the 
war  with  Mexico.  Here  his  youngest 
son.  Dr.  Henry  Brubaker,  was  born 
March  31,  1827.  After  preparation  under 
private  tutors  he  entered  Allegheny  Col- 
lege, at  Meadville,  Pennsylvania,  and  in 
1848  began  the  study  of  medicine  under 
Dr.  J.  H.  Reidt,  of  Berlin.  Later  he  en- 
tered Jefiferson  Medical  College,  at  Phil- 
adelphia, and  on  March  8,  1851,  was 
awarded  his  degree,  M.  D.  After  a  short 
time  spent  in  practice  in  Berlin,  he  located 
in  Somerset,  the  county  seat,  where  from 
1856  until  his  death,  November  12,  1889, 
he  shared  with  Dr.  Kimmel  the  chief 
practice  of  that  community,  and  was  be- 


yond question  the  best  medical  prac- 
titioner the  county  ever  had.  In  1879  ^^ 
received  from  Allegheny  College  the  de- 
gree of  Master  of  Arts.  Dr.  Henry  Bru- 
baker married  Emeline  Philson,  of  Ber- 
lin, a  daughter  of  Alexander  H.,  and 
granddaughter  of  Hon.  Robert  Philson, 
one  of  the  most  prominent  and  influential 
citizens  of  Somerset  county  in  early 
years.  Robert  Philson  was  born  in  Ire- 
land in  1759,  and  in  1785  came  to  Amer- 
ica, settling  in  Berlin,  Somerset  county, 
Pennsylvania.  He  engaged  in  mercantile 
life  successfully,  was  a  member  of  the 
Pennsylvania  State  Legislature  in  1795, 
was  one  of  the  early  associate  judges  of 
Somerset  county,  represented  his  district 
in  the  National  House  of  Representatives, 
1821-1822,  was  brigadier-general  of  mili- 
tia, and  died  in  1851.  Samuel  Philson, 
one  of  his  sons,  was  the  founder  of  the 
banking  house  of  S.  Philson  &  Company, 
from  which  sprang  the  present  Berlin  and 
Myersdale  banks,  owned  largely  by  the 
family.  Alexander  H.,  another  of  the 
eleven  children  of  Hon.  Robert  and  Judith 
(Lowry)  Philson,  was  born  in  Berlin, 
Somerset  county,  in  1801.  He  was  a  mer- 
chant, a  noted  land  surveyor,  and  for 
thirty  years  served  as  justice  of  the  peace. 
He  married  Nellie,  daughter  of  Rev.  Jacob 
Crigler,  and  died  in  1873.  Emeline,  the 
eldest  daughter  and  third  child  of  Alex- 
ander H.  Philson,  married  Dr.  Henry 
Brubaker,  and  bore  him  two  sons  and 
four  daughters. 

Dr.  Albert  Philson  Brubaker,  eldest  son 
of  Dr.  Henry  and  Emeline  (Philson)  Bru- 
baker, was  born  in  New  Lexington,  Som- 
erset county,  Pennsylvania,  August  12, 
1852.  He  obtained  his  academic  education 
in  the  schools  of  Somerset,  and  after  grad- 
uation began  the  study  of  medicine  under 
the  direction  of  his  honored  father.  In 
1872  he  entered  Jefiferson  Medical  Col- 
lege at  Philadelphia,  and  on  March  11, 
1874,  was  graduated  with  honors  and  was 

943 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


awarded  the  degree  M.  D.  He  engaged  in 
private  practice  in  Philadelphia  for  ten 
years,  but  from  graduation  has  been  offi- 
cially connected  with  Jefferson  and  other 
medical  institutions  of  Philadelphia.  In 
May,  1874,  he  was  appointed  assistant 
physician  to  the  medical  clinic  of  Jeffer- 
son, retaining  that  position  for  two  years, 
and  in  October,  1874,  he  was  elected  to 
the  board  of  visiting  physicians  of  the 
Charity  Hospital,  serving  for  five  years. 
In  February,  1875,  he  was  elected  at- 
tending physician  to  the  Northern  Dis- 
pensary, continuing  two  years,  and  in 
May,  1879,  he  was  appointed  lecturer  on 
anatomy  of  the  head  at  the  Philadelphia 
Dental  College,  resigning  in  1881  to  ac- 
cept an  appointment  as  demonstrator  at 
Jefferson  Medical  College.  In  1885  he 
was  appointed  professor  of  physiology 
and  pathology  at  the  Pennsylvania  Col- 
lege of  Dental  Surgery,  which  position  he 
held  until  1907.  In  1S90  Dr.  Brubaker 
was  appointed  by  the  board  of  trustees 
of  the  Jefferson  Medical  College  to  con- 
tinue the  course  of  lectures  on  therapeu- 
tics. Dr.  Roberts  Bartholow,  then  profes- 
sor of  that  subject,  being  too  ill  to  attend 
to  the  duties  of  the  chair.  Futhermore, 
Dr.  Brubaker  had  conducted  the  experi- 
mental work  in  the  laboratory  of  experi- 
mental therapeutics  in  the  winters  of 
1887-1890.  That  Dr.  Brubaker  more  than 
met  the  demands  of  this  work  bespeaks 
his  versatility  in  various  field  of  natural 
science.  In  1891,  on  the  opening  of  the 
Drexel  Institute  of  Science,  Art,  and  In- 
dustry, Dr.  Brubaker  was  tendered  the 
lectureship  on  physiology  and  hygiene, 
which  he  accepted  and  filled  until  June. 
1914,  the  value  of  his  teaching  there  being 
testified  to  by  the  large  number  of  stud- 
ents always  in  attendance  in  his  depart- 
ment, and  by  the  large  audiences  which 
attended  his  public  lectures. 

As  a  still  further  mark  of  appreciation 
on  the  part  of  the  board  of  trustees  of 


the  value  of  Dr.  Brubaker's  teaching,  he 
was  elected  Adjunct  Professor  of  Phy- 
siology and  Hygiene  at  Jefferson  in  1897, 
and  two  years  later,  on  the  completion 
of  the  Students'  Physiologic  Laboratory, 
for  which  the  institution  is  indebted  to 
the  generosity  of  Louis  C.  Vanuxem, 
Esq.,  Dr.  Brubaker  was  made  director  of 
the  same,  and  has  since  conducted  the 
system  of  laboratory  work  there  engaged 
in  by  the  students.  With  the  resignation 
of  Professor  Henry  C.  Chapman.  Dr. 
Brubaker,  in  April,  1909,  was  elected  to 
the  full  professorship  of  Physiology  and 
Medical  Jurisprudence. 

Among  the  contributions  of  Dr.  Bru- 
baker to  physiologic  science  may  be  men- 
tioned :  "Electro-Physiology,"  in  the 
International  System  of  Electro-Thera- 
peutics; the  articles  on  "Digestion"  and 
"Reflex  Diseases"  in  the  American  Sys- 
tem of  Dentistry;  a  valuable  illustrated 
paper  on  "The  Physiology  of  Tissue  Re- 
pair and  of  Inflammation"  in  the  "Dental 
Brief,"  July,  1905  ;  a  "Compend  of  Human 
Physiology,"  now  in  its  thirteenth  edition 
and  largely  used  by  students  throughout 
the  United  States;  a  "Laboratory  Manual 
of  Physiologic  Exercises ;"  a  "Text  Book 
of  Physiology."  now  in  its  fourth  edition ; 
the  yearly  reports  on  "The  Progress  of 
Physiology,"  published  in  Progressive 
Medicine,  edited  by  Professor  Hare.  In 
connection  with  Professor  Chapman  he 
is  the  author  of:  "Researches  on  Respi- 
ration," "Radius  of  Curvature  of  the  Cor- 
nea," "Electro-motive  Forces  of  Muscle 
and  Nerve,"  "Resistance  of  Muscle  and 
Nerve  to  the  Electric  Current,"  all  pub- 
lished in  the  Proceedings  of  the  Academy 
of  Natural  Sciences.  Dr.  Brubaker  is  a 
member  of  the  College  of  Physicians, 
Academy  of  Natural  Sciences,  American 
Philosophical  Society,  as  well  as  of  nu- 
merous medical  and  dental  societies. 

Professionally  he  ranks  very  high,  both 
as  a  master  of  the  subjects  in  which  he 

944 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


specializes  and  as  a  forcible,  interesting, 
and  efficient  instructor.  His  professional 
work  gives  ample  evidence  of  the  l^readth 
and  depth  of  his  learning  and  of  the  rich- 
ness of  the  fund  of  knowledge  from  which 
he  draws  for  lecture,  book,  or  essay.  He 
married,  September  27,  1885,  Edith  B. 
Needles,  of  Philadelphia,  daughter  of 
Caleb  H.  and  Anne  M.  Needles,  and  re- 
sides at  No.  3426  Powelton  avenue. 


LANDIS,  James  D., 

Journalist,  Editor,  Fnblisher. 

In  1717,  three  brothers  who  were  Swiss 
Mennonites  but  who  then  came  from 
Manheim,  Germany,  emigrated  to  Amer- 
ica. Their  names  were  Rev.  Benjamin 
Landis,  Felix  Landis  and  John  Landis. 
The  last  named  was  the  progenitor  of  the 
family  to  which  the  subject  of  this  sketch 
belongs. 

John  Landis  settled  in  Richland  town- 
ship, Bucks  county,  in  this  State.  He  had 
five  sons  and  two  daughters.  His  oldest 
child  was  also  named  John  Landis.  This 
son  was  born  in  Bucks  county,  on  No- 
vember II,  1720,  but  he  afterwards  re- 
moved his  residence  to  Douglas  town- 
ship, Montgomery  county.  He  married  a 
widow  by  the  name  of  Eschbach,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Eliza  Bechtel.  They 
had  five  children,  the  eldest  of  whom  was 
a  son,  Jacob  Landis.  The  date  of  the 
birth  of  Jacob  Landis  cannot  now  be  as- 
certained, but  it  is  known  that  he  died 
in  1806.  He  had  four  sons  and  two 
daughters.  Two  of  these  sons,  John  and 
Joseph,  moved  to  Lancaster  county  about 
1799.  John  was  born  on  August  16,  1776. 
and  he  died  in  this  city  on  April  26,  1850. 
He  kept  a  general  store  in  the  city  of  Lan- 
caster for  some  years,  and  after  he  had 
retired  from  this  business  was  alderman 
for  the  Northeast  Ward  of  the  city.  He 
married  Mary  Kline,  who  was  a  daughter 
of  Michael  Kline  and  Anna  Maria  Gun- 


daker,  his  wife.  Michael  Kline  was  a  sol- 
dier of  the  Revolution,  and  was  in  Colo- 
nel Matthias  Slough's  and  Captain  Joseph 
Hubley's  battalions. 

John  Landis  and  Mary,  his  wife,  had 
thirteen  children.  The  youngest  to  sur- 
vive was  Jesse  Landis.  He  was  born  on 
October  15,  1821,  and  died  December  28, 
1873.  He  was  admitted  to  the  Lancaster 
county  bar  in  1843,  ^"d  he  was  in  the  ac- 
tive practice  of  his  profession  until  his 
death.  He  served  as  solicitor  for  the 
county  commissioners  from  i860  to  1869. 
He  married  Elizabeth  Parke  Daniel.  She 
was  of  Scotch-Irish  descent,  and  came 
from  Chester  county.  She  was  a  daugh- 
ter of  James  Daniel  and  Elizabeth  Hind- 
man,  his  wife.  She  died  on  March  31, 
1896.  They  had  six  children,  four  daugh- 
ters and  two  sons.  The  latter  were 
Charles  I.  Landis  and  James  D.  Landis. 
the  subject  of  this  sketch. 

James  D.  Landis,  journalist,  editor,  and 
publisher,  second  son  of  Jesse  Landis. 
Esq.,  and  his  wife,  Elizabeth  Parke  Dan- 
iel, was  born  in  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania, 
March  14,  1862.  He  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  Lancaster,  and  at  an 
early  age  began  his  newspaper  career, 
first,  in  the  office  of  the  "Lancaster  Ex- 
press," and  later  with  the  "Examiner  and 
Express."  On  April  28,  1877,  when  the 
"New  Era"  was  founded  by  J.  M.  \V 
Geist  and  John  B.  Warfel,  he  joined  the 
editorial  staff  of  that  paper.  In  1897, 
when  the  "New  Era"  was  formed  into 
The  New  Era  Printing  Company,  Mr. 
Landis  became  one  of  the  firm  with  Ben- 
jamin S.  Schindle,  Andrew  H.  Hershey 
and  John  G.  Warfel,  and  continued  to  be 
a  member  until  his  death.  For  many  years 
he  was  a  special  correspondent  for  the 
"Associated  Press"  and  for  the  "Philadel- 
phia Press." 

If  it  be  true,  as  is  said,  that  the  poet  is 
born,  not  made,  the  aphorism  is  no  less 
true  when  applied  to  the  editor  of  a  suc- 
945 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


cessful  newspaper.  The  modern,  so-called 
school  of  journalism,  it  is  no  doubt  true, 
can  do  much  to  make  a  successful  editor, 
but  there  is  much  that  it  can  not  do.  Mr. 
Landis  served  his  apprenticeship  in  the 
best  of  all  schools,  the  modern  newspaper 
office  itself.  Newsboy,  copy-holder,  proof 
reader,  managing  editor,  and  finally  edi- 
tor-in-chief, that  is  the  story  of  his  re- 
markable success  in  his  chosen  calling. 
Along  with  all  this,  a  liberal  education,  a 
mind  naturally  quick  and  acute,  supple- 
mented by  strong  common  sense,  and  a 
wide  acquaintance  with  current  events, 
books,  and  men,  unusually  well-equipped 
him  for  his  editorial  duties.  He  was  a 
ready  writer,  in  command  of  an  easy  but 
strong  and  clear  style,  and  possessed  of 
a  vocabulary  equal  to  any  occasion,  the 
whole  forming  an  exceptionally  strong 
combination  for  successful  newspaper 
work.  He  was  in  the  fullest  sense  the 
master  of  his  subordinates.  His  own 
methods  were  impressed  upon  them  and 
their  response  was  immediate  and  com- 
plete. His  own  mind  permeated  as  well 
as  dominated  his  associates,  and  the  re- 
sult was  a  publication  which  the  public 
came  to  realize  was  at  once  fair,  honest, 
and  capable,  and  deserving  of  the  patron- 
age accorded  to  it  in  such  abundant  meas- 
ure. 

In  addition  to  his  newspaper  work,  Mr. 
Landis  was  engaged  in  outside  afifairs. 
From  1890  to  1901  he  was  copartner  with 
Jacob  S.  Peacock  in  the  Union  Lock  and 
Hardware  Company,  and  its  treasurer. 
He  was  identified  with  many  of  the  finan- 
cial, political,  social,  and  charitable  or- 
ganizations of  the  city,  county  and  State. 
He  was  a  director  and  vice-president  of 
the  West  End  Building  Association,  a 
director  of  the  Peoples  Trust  Company, 
&  trustee  of  the  A.  Herr  Smith  Free 
Memorial  Library,  a  member  of  the  Lan- 
caster Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  a  di- 
rector of  the  Lancaster  Charity  Society. 


He  was  a  member  of  the  Hamilton  Club, 
the  Elks,  and  the  Country  Club.  Though 
raised  a  Methodist,  for  twenty-three  years 
he  affiliated  with  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church. 

In  politics,  Mr.  Landis  was  always 
identified  with  the  Republican  party,  and 
was  a  recognized  leader  in  Lancaster 
county.  He  was  a  charter  member  of  the 
Young  Men's  Republican  Club,  a  member 
of  common  council,  and  a  public  school 
director.  He  was  a  presidential  elector 
in  1904,  casting  his  ballot  for  Roosevelt 
and  Fairbanks,  and  was  a  delegate  to 
many  State  conventions. 

Mr.  Landis  cared  little  for  the  honor 
of  public  office.  His  first  duty  was  to  his 
profession,  and  he  regarded  it  as  a  jealous 
mistress.  It  left  him  free  to  advocate  any 
cause  approved  by  his  convictions,  or  to 
denounce  any  means  he  could  not  con- 
scientiously approve.  But  when  he  did 
consent  to  assume  public  office,  as  he  did 
on  several  occasions,  he  gave  it  the  fullest 
measure  of  his  attention.  When,  there- 
fore, the  responsible  position  of  a  place 
on  the  board  of  managers  of  the  Hunt- 
ingdon Reformatory  came  to  him  by  ap- 
pointment of  Governor  Edwin  T.  Stuart 
in  1907,  he  gave  it  as  much  and  as  careful 
consideration  as  he  did  to  his  private  in- 
terests. Although  held  in  a  distant  part 
of  the  State,  for  seven  years  every  meet- 
ing of  the  board  was  regularly  attended 
by  Mr.  Landis  except  on  the  several  occa- 
sions when  he  and  his  wife  were  traveling 
in  Europe.  He  felt  that  he  was  engaged 
in  a  most  meritorious  cause  and  he  gave 
it  the  most  efficient  service  at  his  com- 
mand. He  put  the  same  conscience  and 
energy  into  this  gratuitous  public  work 
that  he  gave  to  his  own  private  interests. 
This  fact  is  deserving  of  special  mention, 
because  it  is  not  so  common  among  public 
officials  as  it  should  be,  but  it  seems  to 
mark  a  strong  and  distinctive  feature  in 
his  view  of  the  relations  that  should  exist 
946 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


among  office  holders  and  the  public  posi- 
tions they  hold. 

On  September  17,  1890,  Mr.  Landis 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss  Mary 
Elizabeth  Schaeffer  McNeal,  born  Feb- 
ruary 24,  1862,  a  daughter  of  Henry  B. 
McNeal  and  his  wife,  Emeline  R.  Schaef- 
fer, who  was  a  daughter  of  Hon.  Eman- 
uel Schaeffer,  associate  judge  of  Lancas- 
ter county,  1842-1848. 

On  January  8,  1914,  Mr.  Landis  and  his 
wife  started  on  their  fourth  trip  abroad, 
this  time  to  make  a  tour  of  the  world. 
They  were  accompanied  by  their  niece. 
Miss  Jessie  E.  Schindle.  Mr.  Landis  died 
at  sea,  on  board  the  "Franconia,"  of  the 
Cunard  line,  January  17,  1914,  midway 
between  the  Azores  and  Gibraltar.  The 
body  was  brought  home  on  board  the 
"Saxonia,"  of  the  same  line,  landing  in 
New  York,  February  2,  1914,  and  was 
buried  in  Greenwood  Cemetery,  Lancas- 
ter, Pennsylvania.  Mr.  Landis  died  with- 
out issue.     His  wife  survives  him. 


LANDIS,  Charles  I., 

IiavryeT,  Jurist. 

Charles  I.  Landis  (see  preceding  sketch) 
was  born  in  the  house.  No.  232  East  King 
street,  Lancaster,  on  November  18,  1856. 
He  was  first  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  the  city,  graduating  from  the 
high  school  in  June,  1871.  He  then  en- 
tered Franklin  and  Marshall  College, 
where  he  remained  until  his  father's 
death.  For  six  months  thereafter  he 
clerked  in  the  store  of  Hager  &  Bro.,  and 
on  September  8,  1874,  he  began  the  study 
of  law  with  D.  G.  Eshleman,  Esq.  While 
a  law  student  he  taught  school  one  term 
in  Lehigh  county,  one  term  in  East  Co- 
calico  township,  this  county,  and  about 
six  weeks  in  the  city.  He  was  admitted 
to  the  Lancaster  county  bar  on  Septem- 
ber 8,  1877,  when  not  yet  twenty-one 
years  of  age. 

PEN— Vol  VI-8  I 


He  was  elected  city  solicitor  of  Lan- 
caster City  in  the  spring  of  1880,  be- 
ing the  only  one  of  the  caucus  nominees 
of  the  Republican  party  who  escaped  de- 
feat. He  was  again  elected  to  the  same 
office  in  1882.  In  1883  he  was  made  sec- 
retary of  the  Republican  County  Com- 
mittee, and  in  1884  and  1885  was  the 
chairman  of  that  committee.  As  such  he 
conducted  the  presidential  campaign 
which  resulted  in  the  defeat  of  James  G. 
Blaine.  In  1886  he  was  the  senatorial 
delegate  to  the  convention  which  nomi- 
nated Governor  James  A.  Beaver,  and 
from  1 89 1  to  1897  he  served  on  the  Lan- 
caster City  school  board.  On  April  li, 
1899,  he  was  appointed  additional  law 
judge  of  the  Second  Judicial  District  as 
successor  of  Hon.  Henry  Clay  Brubaker, 
deceased,  and  having  been  nominated  at 
the  Republican  primary  election  to  this 
office  he  was  at  the  November  election 
of  that  year  elected  for  a  term  of  ten 
years.  Upon  the  retirement  of  Judge 
Livingston  he  was  on  February  13,  1904, 
commissioned  as  President  Judge  At 
the  November  election  of  1909  he  was 
elected  without  opposition  for  another 
term  of  ten  years,  having  received  both 
the  Republican  and  Democratic  nomina- 
tions. On  June  14,  1915,  Judge  Landis 
was  elected  president  of  the  Lancaster 
Bar  Association,  to  succeed  the  late  W. 
U.  Hensel. 

In  business  life  he  was,  prior  to  his 
accession  to  the  bench,  active  as  an  offi- 
cer and  director  of  a  number  of  corpo- 
rations. The  Peoples  National  Bank  and 
Greenwood  Cemetery  Company  were  or- 
ganized in  his  office,  and  he  was  on  their 
boards  of  directors,  as  well  as  on  that  of 
the  Peoples  Trust  Company,  until  he 
became  judge,  when  he  resigned.  He  has 
been  for  a  number  of  years  a  director 
of  the  Peoples  Building  and  Loan  Asso- 
ciation, and  he  is  now  its  vice-president. 

He  was  president  of  the  commission 
947 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


which  built  the  Thaddeus  Stevens 
School  buildings  and  he  is  now  president 
of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  school, 
and  president  of  the  Thaddeus  Stevens 
Home  Board.  He  is  president  of  the 
Henry  G.  Long  Asylum,  president  of  the 
A.  Herr  Smith  Free  Memorial  Library, 
and  a  State  trustee  of  the  Millersville 
State  Normal  School. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Pennsylvania 
State  Bar  Association,  and  has  been  one 
of  its  vice-presidents,  and  is  a  member  of 
the  American  Bar  Association.  He  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  of  the  Supreme  Court 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  to  the  bar  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States.  He 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Historical  Society 
of  Pennsylvania  and  of  the  Lancaster 
County  Historical  Society,  and  of  the  lat- 
ter he  is  one  of  the  vice-presidents.  He 
also  belongs  to  the  Pennsylvania  German 
Society,  the  Genealogical  Society,  and 
the  Hamilton  Club  of  Lancaster  City. 

In  conjunction  with  the  late  Judge  Bru- 
baker  he,  in  1883,  started  the  "Lancaster 
Law  Review,"  a  legal  paper  which  is  yet 
successfully  conducted  by  George  Ross 
Eshleman,  Esq.  He  has  also  been  the 
author  of  various  Acts  of  Assembly, 
among  which  was  the  act  enabling  de- 
fendants to  enter  pleas  of  guilty  at  any 
time  without  the  intervention  of  a  grand 
jury.  He  has  been  active  in  literary  pur- 
suits, and  has  written  sketches  of  the 
President  Judges  of  this  county,  a  his- 
tory of  the  District  Court  of  Lancaster 
City  and  County,  and  monographs  on 
other  subjects.  His  term  of  office  will 
expire  on  the  first  Monday  in  January, 
1920. 

He  was  married,  on  September  5,  1888, 
to  Jessie  Amanda  Witmer,  daughter  of 
the  late  Amos  L.  Witmer  and  Amanda 
Herr  Witmer,  of  Paradise  township,  this 
county.  Mrs.  Landis  was  born  in  that 
township  on  February  20,  1857. 


KEENAN,  General  James, 

Distinguished   Soldier,  Diplomat. 

General  James  Keenan  was  born  in 
Youngstown,  Pennsylvania,  November  16, 
1823,  son  of  James  and  Isabella  (John- 
ston) Keenan.  The  father  died  before 
the  son  reached  manhood,  and  upon  the 
latter  largely  devolved  the  care  of  the 
widowed  mother  and  her  younger  chil- 
dren. His  youth  was  filled  with  hard- 
ship and  privations,  all  of  which  he  man- 
fully met.  Doubtless  the  adversities  of 
his  youthful  days  fitted  him  to  perform 
the  stern  duties  which  confronted  him  in 
after  years. 

He  entered  Mt.  St.  Mary's  College  at 
Emm,itsburg,  Maryland,  but  his  course 
was  cut  short  by  the  breaking  out  of  the 
Mexican  War,  in  which  he  enlisted  as  a 
private  in  the  Duquesne  Grays  of  Pitts- 
burgh. In  this  company  was  also  Rich- 
ard C.  Drum,  later  General  Drum,  Adju- 
tant-General, United  States  Army.  Going 
in  the  army  to  Mexico  in  1846,  the  first 
year  of  the  war,  he  became  afflicted  with 
a  disease  incident  to  the  excessively  hot 
climate,  and  returned  home  in  1847.  O" 
his  partial  recovery  he  was  commis- 
sioned lieutenant  in  the  Eleventh  Infan- 
try, United  States  Army,  and  was  de- 
tailed to  recruit  for  the  service.  In  1848, 
with  his  recruits,  he  returned  to  Mexico 
and  remained  in  active  field  service  until 
the  war  ended  and  his  commission  ex- 
pired. He  proved  himself  a  gallant  and 
daring  soldier  in  the  war,  and  when  he 
returned  home  found  himself  hailed  as  a 
hero. 

In  the  fall  of  1849  he  was  elected  Reg- 
ister and  Recorder  of  Westmoreland 
county,  and  he  was  reelected  in  1852,  ex- 
tending his  term  of  office  to  six  years. 
He  proved  himself  an  energetic  and 
methodical  officer,  and  he  introduced 
many  improvements  in  his  office  which 

948 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  KIOGRAPHY 


were  highly  appreciated  by  its  patrons. 
An  ardent  Democrat,  his  effective  work 
for  the  party  came  to  the  notice  of  Gov- 
ernor Bigler,  who  on  February  2,  1852, 
appointed  him  Adjutant-General  of  the 
State  with  the  rank  of  Brigadier-General. 
In  June  of  the  same  year  President  Pierce 
offered  him  the  appointment  of  United 
States  Consul  to  Hong  Kong  Island, 
which  he  held  under  advisement  until 
October  of  the  following  year,  when  he 
resigned  the  adjutant-generalship  and 
sailed  for  Hong  Kong.  He  was  con- 
tinued in  the  Hong  Kong  Consulate  by 
President  Buchanan,  a  fact  which  elo- 
quently testifies  his  ability  as  a  diplomat, 
in  a  peculiarly  trying  field.  In  1857  he 
returned  on  a  visit  to  Greensburg,  and 
was  united  in  marriage  with  Elizabeth 
Barclay,  a  daughter  of  John  Young  Bar- 
clay, and  a  young  woman  of  highly  cul- 
tivated tastes  and  refinement.  General 
and  Mrs.  Keenan  at  once  sailed  for  Hong 
Kong.  The  duties  of  his  position  were 
burdensome,  and  the  climate  undermined 
his  constitution.  However,  he  discharged 
the  duties  of  his  office  with  scrupulous 
fidelity  (under  President  Lincoln)  until 
February  22,  1862,  when  he  and  his  fam- 
ily sailed  in  the  ship  "Surprise"  for  the 
United  States,  arriving  in  New  York  on 
May  16th,  after  a  voyage  of  nearly  three 
months.  For  many  weeks  he  was  con- 
fined to  his  berth  on  board  the  ship,  and 
was  with  difficulty  removed  to  a  hotel  in 
New  York.  He  gradually  declined,  and 
his  death  occurred  in  Blanchard's  Hotel, 
New  York  City,  on  May  22nd,  1863,  in 
the  thirty-ninth  year  of  his  age.  His 
body  was  conveyed  to  Greensburg,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  buried  in  the  old  St.  Clair 
Cemetery,  with  one  of  the  largest  and 
most  impressive  funerals  ever  known 
there. 

General  Keenan  was  a  man  of  unusual 
qualities.    He  was  fully  six  feet  in  height, 


and  built  in  proportion,  with  dark  eyes 
and  black  hair.  Nature  had  endowed  him 
with  a  fine  intellect,  which,  with  his  noted 
physical  strength,  enabled  him  to  press 
forward  and  surmount  difficulties  which 
would  have  overcome  men  of  less  native 
power.  No  young  man  in  Pennsylvania 
had  a  more  brilliant  future  before  him 
than  had  he.  From  his  jouth  his  career 
had  been  steadily  upward  and  onward. 
He  was  generous,  intrepid  and  courage- 
ous, yet  gentle,  kind  and  humane.  He 
was  noted  for  his  courteous  and  graceful 
manners,  not  manners  of  an  assumed 
sort,  but  those  which  resulted  from  a 
naturally  generous  and  happy  disposition. 
He  had  an  unusually  accurate  knowledge 
of  human  character,  and  was  seldom  de- 
ceived in  his  estimates  of  men.  In  the 
dangers  of  battle  he  was  never  excited, 
surprised  or  disconcerted,  but  only 
aroused  to  cool  and  intrepid  action.  He 
is  said  to  have  possessed  many  of  the 
qualities  of  a  great  com.mander,  and  had 
he  engaged  in  the  Civil  War,  as  was  his 
ardent  desire,  he  would  doubtless  have 
distinguished  himself  as  a  leader  of  men 
in  battle.  Without  the  aid  of  fortune  or 
even  of  influential  friends,  except  those 
he  won  by  the  excellence  of  his  character, 
he  had  risen  step  by  step,  without  a  single 
setback  or  defeat.  The  position  which  he 
occupied  in  the  East  became  one  of  great 
importance  at  the  time  of  the  Sepoy  mu- 
tiny and  other  Eastern  troubles.  He  was 
with  the  United  States  Marines  when  the 
English  took  Canton,  China,  and  the 
adjacent  country.  Later,  he  accompanied 
Commodore  Perry  on  his  memorable  ex- 
pedition to  open  the  Japanese  ports  to 
American  commerce. 

General  Keenan  was  the  personal  friend 
of  General  Lewis  Cass,  Secretary  of  War 
Simon  Cameron,  Governor  Bigler.  Gen- 
eral Henry  D.  Foster,  and  other  distin- 
guished Democratic  leaders.     Though  he 


1949 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


read  law  in  Greensburg,  he  never  prac- 
ticed nor  became  known  as  a  lawyer,  yet 
his  correspondence  with  the  State  De- 
partment in  Washington  City  gave  him 
high  rank  as  an  authority  on  International 
law.  As  in  his  military  career,  his  life  as 
a  diplomat  was  cut  short,  and  we  can 
only  surmise  what  he  might  have  accom- 
plished had  he  lived  to  maturer  years 
and  riper  wisdom.  He  died  at  an  age 
when  most  men  are  content  if  they  have 
but  won  a  fair  start  in  public  life,  yet  he 
had  accomplished  more  than  many  men 
of  greater  age  and  more  ample  oppor- 
tunities. 


SHINDEL,  Charles  Shoener, 

Fromineiit  Man  of  Affairs. 

In  the  death  of  Charles  Shoener  Shin- 
del  there  was  lost  to  Tamaqua  and  to  the 
State  of  Pennsylvania  a  man  to  whose 
abilities  and  powers  there  was  seemingly 
no  end ;  to  whom  in  the  future  days  there 
was  promised  much  of  fame  and  of  repu- 
tation ;  who  in  the  conception  and  execu- 
tion of  his  ideas  and  ideals  would  have 
rendered  services  of  value  to  town  and 
State,  which  he  had  already  begun  ;  whose 
career  in  the  manufacturing  world  fore- 
told a  captain  of  industry ;  all  thwarted 
by  the  chill  hand  of  death.  Son  of  a 
father  whose  name  had  known  preemi- 
nence at  the  bar,  he  was  by  nature  en- 
dowed with  talents  that  qualified  him  for 
great  things,  and  in  the  short  time  that 
he  was  granted  the  exercise  of  these 
faculties  of  exceptional  merit  he  showed 
himself  to  be  a  worthy  son,  adding  honor 
to  the  achievements  of  his  sire. 

Conrad  Shindel,  father  of  Charles 
Shoener  Shindel,  was  born  at  Lykens. 
Dauphin  county,  Pennsylvania,  Novem- 
ber lo,  1836,  died  in  Tamaqua,  Schuyl- 
kill county,  Pennsylvania,  March  6,  1890. 
He  obtained  an   excellent   classical   edu- 


cation in  the  Hartford  Preparatory  School 
and  Franklin  and  Marshall  College,  at 
Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,  from  which  lat- 
ter institution  he  was  graduated.  Soon 
after  the  completion  of  his  studies  he 
entered  the  law  office  of  George  H.  Mc- 
Cabe,  an  attorney  of  Tamaqua,  and  pass- 
ing highly  satisfactory  examinations  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  of  Schuylkill  county 
in  1857,  and  from  that  time  until  his 
death  constantly  practiced  in  all  the 
courts  of  the  State.  He  had  a  large  prac- 
tice in  the  Orphans'  Court  of  the  State, 
and  was  particularly  skilled  in  the  ad- 
justment of  the  estates  of  orphans  and 
in  making  provision  for  their  future  wel- 
fare. He  gained  worthy  position  among 
his  legal  brethren  of  the  State,  which  he 
maintained  by  the  signally  upright  and 
honorable  course  he  pursued  throughout 
his  entire  professional  relations,  and  no 
case  was  ever  decided  against  him  be- 
cause of  an  inferior  display  of  legal  knowl- 
edge. It  is  a  subject  for  wonder  that  in 
spite  of  his  engrossing  professional  duties 
and  interests  he  should  have  found  suffi- 
cient time  to  establish  a  reputation  as  a 
business  man  of  natural  sagacity  and  un- 
questioned ability.  He  was  a  partner  in 
a  stove  manufacturing  concern  in  Ta- 
maqua, known  as  Robinson  &  Company, 
which  was  merged  in  1S82  with  the  Ta- 
maqua Manufacturing  Company,  in  which 
latter  organization  Mr.  Shindel  was  one 
of  the  principal  stockholders,  a  director 
and  solicitor.  The  Tamaqua  Boot  and 
Shoe  Company  was  another  of  his  inter- 
ests, and  he  held  stock  in  the  Pottsville 
Real  Estate,  Title,  Insurance  and  Trust 
Company.  In  1877  he  purchased  a  farm 
one  mile  north  of  Tamaqua  and  erected 
thereon  a  handsome  residence,  where  he 
spent  his  remaining  years.  He  was  a  Re- 
publican in  politics  and  in  the  Garfield 
campaign  of  1881  was  a  presidential  elec- 
tor from  the  State  of  Pennsylvania.     Be- 


1950 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


cause  of  his  prominence  in  the  legal  pro- 
fession and  his  popularity  with  the  lead- 
ers of  the  industrial  interests  of  the  State 
he  was  frequently  pressed  to  announce 
his  candidacy  for  State  and  national  polit- 
ical office,  being  assured  that  he  would 
be  acceptable  to  a  large  majority  of  the 
voters  of  the  State,  but  he  never  yielded 
to  this  persuasion,  being  content  to  con- 
fine his  endeavors  to  his  professional  and 
business  activities.  He  held  membership 
in  the  Masonic  order,  and  was  promi- 
nent in  the  various  organizations  of  that 
society.     He  married  Mary  I.  Bailey. 

Charles  Shoener  Shindel,  son  of  Con- 
rad and  Mary  I.  (Bailey)  Shindel,  was 
born  in  Tamaqua,  Schuylkill  county, 
Pennsylvania.  April  29,  1868,  died  in  1913. 
He  obtained  a  wide  and  thorough  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  Tamaqua, 
Wyoming  Seminary,  and  finally  in  Le- 
high University.  Upon  leaving  college 
he  entered  his  father's  office  to  fit  himself 
for  the  legal  profession,  but  at  the  death 
of  the  elder  Mr.  Shindel  he  abandoned 
this  intention  and  gave  his  entire  atten- 
tion to  the  numerous  business  responsi- 
bilities that  he  had  been  gradually  accu- 
mulating. He  was  the  owner  of  consider- 
able timber  land  and  a  stockholder  in  the 
company  developing  the  same,  promoted 
the  East  Lehigh  Colliery  at  Tamaqua. 
and  besides  holding  title  to  valuable  coal 
land,  possessed  a  great  deal  of  real  estate 
in  and  around  Tamaqua.  He  was  a  direc- 
tor of  the  Tamaqua  National  Bank  and 
of  the  Tamaqua  Building  and  Loan  Asso- 
ciation, and  president  of  the  Tamaqua 
Manufacturing  Company,  a  concern  to 
whose  management  and  direction  he  gave 
much  of  his  personal  attention.  In  all 
these  organizations  Mr.  Shindel  was  the 
moving  spirit,  suggesting  plans  of  pro- 
cedure here,  disclosing  defects  in  routine 
there,  always  advising  well  and,  where 
necessary,    bearing    the    burden    of    the 


proposed  innovation  u]jon  his  already 
heavily-laden  shoulders.  He  took  a  spe- 
cial pride  in  the  first-class  institutions 
that  grew  up  in  the  borough  of  Tamaqua, 
and  ever  counted  it  a  privilege  and  pleas- 
ure to  aid  in  any  way  their  growth  and 
prosperity.  For  two  terms  he  was  post- 
master of  the  borough  and  was  also  ele- 
vated to  the  office  of  chief  burgess  by  his 
fellow-citizens,  his  administration  being 
marked  by  the  inauguration  of  many 
projects  for  the  improvement  and  ad- 
vance of  the  town,  which  he  carried  on- 
ward to  a  successful  consummation.  He 
held  a  life  membership  in  the  Benevolent 
and  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  The  an- 
nouncement of  his  death,  the  victim  of 
an  autom,obile  accident,  came  as  a  great 
shock  to  his  many  friends  and  admirers, 
who  had  been  watching  his  career  with 
close  interest,  marveling  at  the  varied 
talents  of  the  man.  and  taking  pride  in 
his  high  achievements.  Lofty  as  were 
his  accomplishments,  his  aims  were  yet 
more  lofty,  and  with  the  clear  purpose 
and  strength  of  will  that  had  marked  his 
every  action  in  the  financial  and  indus- 
trial world,  their  attainment  seemed  but 
a  matter  of  years.  It  is  a  striking  ex- 
ample of  the  instability  of  life  and  the 
mutability  of  human  purpose  when  such 
glowing  prospects  are  dashed  to  earth, 
their  subversion  sudden  and  complete. 

The  following  testimonial,  from  the 
directors  of  the  Tamaqua  Manufacturing 
Company,  was  presented  to  his  family : 

In  memory  of  Charles  Shoener  Shindel,  Presi- 
dent of  the  Tamaqua  Manufacturing  Company, 
Tamaqua,  Pennsylvania.  Whereas,  knowing  that 
by  sudden  death  of  our  beloved  President, 
Charles  Shoener  Shindel,  we  have  lost  one  who, 
always  having  the  good  of  others  at  heart,  de- 
voted his  time  and  personal  attention  without 
stint  to  their  welfare,  and  to  the  many  important 
interests  with  which  he  was  identified  brought 
the  same  qualities  which  made  him  prominent  in 
the  community  as  a  man   faithful,  conscientious, 


1951 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


and  intellectual  Citizen  and  President  of  Board 
of  Directory  with  the  same  full  measure  of  suc- 
cess that  by  his  jovial,  pleasant,  and  lovable  dis- 
position endeared  him  to  all.  And  knowing  his 
departure  will  be  greatly  felt  in  this  community 
by  those  who  were  brought  into  personal  contact 
with  him  and  especially  by  his  family,  to  whom 
he  was  a  most  kind,  generous,  and  devoted  hus- 
band and  father,  and  realizing  what  a  shock  and 
heart-rending  grief  it  must  bring  to  them  and 
desiring  to  sympathize  with  them  in  this  great 
affliction  and  bereavement  we  commend  them  to 
Almighty  God,  the  Source  of  all  comfort  and 
consolation.  Therefore  be  it  resolved  that  a 
minute  be  made  on  our  records  and  a  copy  of 
the  same  suitably  engrossed  be  presented  to  the 
family  Therefore  be  it  resolved  that  every  de- 
partment of  the  Tamaqua  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany be  closed  on  the  day  of  the  funeral  of  our 
departed  president. 

He  married,  February  ii,  1895,  Rosa 
Belle,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Mary  I. 
(Boyer)  Shepp.  They  were  the  parents 
of  two  children,  who  with  his  widow  sur- 
vive him :  Mary  Louise,  attends  the  Oak 
Lane  Private  School,  and  Isabelle,  attends 
the  Tamaqua  public  school. 

Daniel  Shepp  was  a  descendant  of  an 
old  German  family,  Conrad  Shepp,  his 
grandfather,  having  been  the  emigrant 
ancestor  of  the  name.  Daniel  Shepp, 
father  of  Daniel  Shepp,  was  born  Febru- 
ary 16,  1802,  died  in  1881.  Daniel  Shepp, 
father  of  Rosa  Belle,  spent  his  early  life 
on  the  family  homestead  near  Reading, 
where  he  attended  the  public  schools, 
finishing  his  studies  at  the  Unionville 
Academy,  in  Chester  county.  In  185 1, 
attracted  by  the  tales  that  had  come  east 
of  the  vast  fortunes  to  be  had  for  the 
seeking  in  the  gold  fields  of  California,  he 
and  twenty  others  started  for  their  El 
Dorado  by  way  of  the  Isthmus  of 
Panama.  He  remained  in  that  region  for 
seventeen  months,  with  good  success, 
saving  $5,000  from  the  amount  of  the 
precious  metal  he  was  able  to  find.  Need- 
less to  say  he  was  more  successful  than 


the  majority  of  his  companions,  and  when 
the  pocket  in  which  he  had  made  his  dis- 
covery was  exhausted  he  returned  east, 
a  move  showing  wisdom  which  most  of 
the  gold-seekers  lacked.  Many  of  them 
were  not  content  to  return  to  their  homes 
with  so  modest  a  sum,  but  spent  it  all  in 
a  vain  search  for  their  "big  find."  Arriv- 
ing in  the  east  he  secured  a  position  as 
bookkeeper  for  W.  H.  Climer  &  Com- 
pany, of  the  Mount  Laurel  Furnace,  re- 
maining in  that  employ  for  sixteen 
months.  In  March,  1854,  he  came  to 
Tamaqua  and  there  began  the  business 
operations  by  which  he  amassed  a  con- 
siderable fortune,  gaining,  as  well,  the 
reputation  of  one  of  the  most  shrewd  and 
able  financiers  of  Schuylkill  county.  His 
first  venture  was  in  partnership  with  A. 
W.  Kaufifman  and  Daniel  Baum,  the  trio 
building  the  stone  flouring  mills  known 
as  the  Tamaqua  Steam  Mills  operating 
for  two  years  as  Daniel  Shepp  &  Com- 
pany. In  1856  Adam  Aulthouse,  his 
brother-in-law,  purchased  the  interests  of 
Messrs.  Kaufifman  and  Baum,  and  until 
1861  the  business  was  conducted  as  Shepp 
&  Aulthouse,  when  H.  F.  Stidfole  pur- 
chased Mr.  Aulthouse's  interest,  and  for 
the  next  six  years  the  firm  was  known  as 
Shepp  &  Stidfole.  The  Stidfole  interest 
passed  to  Joseph  and  John  Hirsh  in  1867, 
the  name  becoming  D.  Shepp  &  Com- 
pany, and  in  1891  Mr.  Shepp  became  sole 
owner.  His  next  deal  was  consummated 
on  March  i,  1869,  when  in  company  with 
Conrad  Graeber  and  John  Kempel  he 
secured  the  lease  of  the  Locust  Gap  Col- 
liery, in  Northumberland  county,  and  as 
Graeber  &  Shepp  operated  it  for  five 
years.  At  the  end  of  this  time  Mr.  Kem- 
pel withdrew  from  the  firm,  J.  B.  Hirsh, 
John  Graham  and  Simon  Stein  buying  his 
share  of  the  capital  stock  and  taking  his 
place  in  the  direction  of  the  company's 
business.     In  December,  1882,  Mr.  Shepp 


1952 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


became  associated  with  Joseph  Mitchell, 
operator  of  the  West  Lehigh  Colliery, 
near  Tamaqua.  Four  years  later  Daniel 
Shepp  &  Company,  composed  of  Mr. 
Shepp,  James  Fitchorn  and  Joseph  Zeh- 
ner,  began  the  shipping  of  coal  in  Carbon 
county,  and  in  the  same  year  Mr.  Shepp 
opened  one  of  the  largest  veins  in  the 
anthracite  coal  region,  ranging  from  one 
hundred  and  twenty-five  to  one  hundred 
and  fifty  feet  in  thickness  the  product  of 
which  was  sold  to  the  Lehigh  Coal  and 
Navigation  Company.  He  was,  besides 
these  busin'"^«  connections,  president  of 
the  Tamaqua  Banking  and  Trust  Com- 
pany, and  the  Edison  Illuminating  and 
Power  Company.  Nor  were  his  opera- 
tions only  local  in  character.  He  was 
the  owner  of  six  thousand  acres  of  rich 
timber  land  near  Lock  Haven,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  in  order  to  furnish  proper 
facilities  for  the  development  of  the  tract 
and  the  shipping  of  the  lumber  he  caused 
a  ten-mile  railroad  spur  to  be  built  con- 
necting with  the  New  York  &  Erie  rail- 
road. He  also  held  title  to  four  thousand 
acres  of  heavily  timbered  land  in  Lycom- 
ing county,  and  leased  three  thousand 
acres  with  ten  miles  of  railroad  connect- 
ing with  the  Pine  Creek  railroad  at  Camp- 
bell Station.  The  Texas  &  Oregon  rail- 
road connected  with  the  Pine  Creek  Road 
at  Campbell  Station  and  in  the  former 
company  he  owned  considerable  stock, 
so  that  he  was  able  to  arrange  shipping 
accommodations  with  much  greater  ease 
than  would  have  otherwise  been  possible. 
Of  the  Blue  Mountain  Manufacturing 
Company,  controlling  thirteen  thousand 
acres  of  timber  land  in  Schuylkill  county, 
he  was  president,  the  product  of  the  com- 
pany being  mining  supplies  of  all  kinds. 
The  variety  of  his  industrial  connections 
served  admirably  to  give  an  impression 
of  the  character  of  the  man.  Vast  as  was 
the   difference   between    them,   his   mind 


was  master  of  the  details  of  each,  and  he 
was  the  mainspring  action  about  which 
the  success  of  the  various  eMterpri.-5es 
centered. 

Mr.  Shepp  was  a  Democrat  in  political 
action  and  gave  freely  of  his  time  and 
service  to  his  borough,  being  for  twenty- 
eight  years  of  his  residence  in  Tamaqua 
a  member  of  the  council,  and  for  twenty- 
four  of  the  twenty-eight  its  energetic 
president.  Many  were  the  ordinances 
that  have  added  to  the  town's  attractive- 
ness as  a  place  of  homes  that  originated 
in  his  discerning  mind,  and  numerous 
the  civic  reforms  that  he  fostered.  And 
in  the  cares  of  the  business  world  he  was 
mindful  of  the  finer  side  of  life,  serving 
Trinity  Reformed  Church  as  elder  from 
the  time  of  its  organization  until  his 
death,  and  for  thirty-six  consecutive 
years  he  was  superintendent  of  the  Sun- 
day school  of  that  denomination,  both 
remarkable  records  of  religious  fidelity 
and  constancy.  He  fraternized  with  the 
Masonic  order,  belonging  to  Tamaqua 
Lodge,  No.  38,  Free  and  Accepted  Ma- 
sons;  Tamaqua  Chapter,  No.  117,  Royal 
Arch  Masons ;  Ivanhoe  Commandery, 
Knights  Templar;  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows ;  Ringgold  Lodge,  No. 
318,  of  which  he  was  past  grand  and  for 
over  thirty  years  treasurer,  and  Scott  En- 
campment, No.  132,  of  which  he  was  also 
a  past  officer. 

Mr.  Shepp  married,  October  14,  1857, 
Mary  Isabelle,  daughter  of  Joshua  and 
Susanna  Boyer. 


TEMPLETON,  Edwin  S., 

Lavryer,  filan  of  Affairs. 

The  association  in  one  personality  of 
an  astute  lawyer  and  an  able  business 
man  is  of  rare  occurrence,  yet  this  infre- 
quent combination  is  finely  exemplified 
in  the  character  of  Edwin  S.  Templeton. 

953 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  Greenville,  assistant  general  counsel 
for  the  Bessemer  &  Lake  Erie  railroad, 
and  president  of  the  Greenville  Gas  Com- 
pany. Mr.  Templeton  is  descended  on 
both  sides  from  Pennsylvania  ancestry. 

Chambers  Templeton,  father  of  Edwin 
S.  Templeton,  w^as  born  in  Armstrong 
county,  and  was  for  many  years  engaged 
in  mercantile  business.  In  1849  he  was 
one  of  the  argonauts  who  journeyed  to 
California  in  quest  of  gold,  and  spent  sev- 
eral years  in  that  then  enchanted  region. 
In  1869  he  settled  in  Greenville  and  for 
a  number  of  years  thereafter  operated  a 
flour  mill  at  Sharpsvillc.  He  was  a  Re- 
publican in  politics,  and,  while  always 
interested  in  public  afifairs,  took  no  par- 
ticularly active  part  in  their  conduct  and 
management.  He  married  Susan  J.  Moss- 
man,  a  native  of  Mercer  county,  who  died 
in  December,  1872,  and  whom  he  sur- 
vived until  July  13,  1897.  For  seven 
years  he  was  a  member  of  the  school 
board. 

Edwin  S.  Templeton,  son  of  Chambers 
and  Susan  J.  (Mossman)  Templeton,  was 
born  April  23,  1854,  at  Brady's  Bend, 
Armstrong  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  re- 
ceived his  preparatory  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  place  and  of 
Greenville,  afterward  entering  Thiel  Col- 
lege, whence  he  graduated  in  1875.  He 
then  studied  at  the  Columbia  Law  School, 
Washington,  District  of  Columbia,  gradu- 
ating in  1877,  and  while  a  law  student 
held  a  clerkship  in  the  United  States 
Treasury  Department. 

After  graduating  from  the  law  school, 
Mr.  Templeton  did  not  at  once  begin 
practice,  his  inclination  for  business  as- 
serting itself  and  prompting  him  to  seek 
the  oil  field  of  Bradford,  Pennsylvania, 
and  there  to  spend  tvv'o  years  in  the  oil 
industry.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  set- 
tled in  Greenville  and  entered  upon  the 
practice   of  his   profession,   in   which   he 


has  ever  since  been  continuously  engaged 
in  the  same  place.  He  practices  in  all 
the  State  and  Federal  courts,  and  is  rec- 
ognized as  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  bar 
in  Western  Pennsylvania,  his  compre- 
hensive knowledge  of  the  law,  thorough 
familiarity  with  all  the  details  of  his  pro- 
fession and  skill  as  a  practitioner,  placing 
him  in  the  front  rank  of  his  associates. 

As  a  business  man  Mr.  Templeton  is 
widely  known  and  is  regarded  as  an  au- 
thority in  matters  financial.  He  is  presi- 
dent not  only  of  the  Greenville  Gas  Com- 
pany, but  also  of  the  Mercer  County  Gas 
Company,  and  of  the  Ashtabula  Gas  Com- 
pany. He  is  a  director  of  the  Greenville 
Silica  Company  and  the  Greenville  Steel 
Car  Company,  being  also  associated  with 
various  other  corporations  and  com- 
panies. In  several  States  of  the  Union 
he  is  known  and  highly  esteemed  as  a 
man  influentially  active  in  the  conduct  of 
extensive  enterprises.  In  politics  Mr. 
Templeton  has  usually  associated  with 
the  Republicans,  and  has  always  been 
actively  interested  in  local.  State  and 
national  afifairs,  but  has  never  been  a 
place-seeker,  the  only  political  office 
which  he  has  ever  held  being  that  of 
member  of  the  school  board,  in  which 
capacity  he  has  served  twelve  years.  He 
belongs  to  the  State  and  County  Bar 
associations  and  affiliates  with  the  Ma- 
sonic fraternity,  both  chapter  and  com- 
mandery.  He  and  his  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

Mr.  Templeton  married,  July  27,  1887. 
Clara,  daughter  of  H.  N.  and  Mary  E. 
(Buchanan)  Shrom,  of  Greenville,  and 
they  are  the  parents  of  four  daughters : 
Mary  B. ;  Florence  S. ;  Susan  M. ;  and 
Ruth.  Mr.  Templeton  is  a  man  whose 
genial  nature  and  courteous  and  aflfable 
manners  have  drawn  around  him  many 
friends,  and  he  and  his  family  enjoy  a 
high  degree  of  personal  popularity,  being 


1954 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


prominent  in  the  social  life  of  their  com- 
munity. One  of  his  distinf^aiishing  traits 
is  loyalty  to  youthful  friendships  and 
associations,  a  striking  instance  of  this 
being  furnished  by  the  fact  that  for  some 
years  he  has  served  on  the  Ijoard  of  trus- 
tees of  his  alma  mater,  Thiel  College. 

Such  men  as  Mr.  Templeton  are  at  once 
the  strength  and  motive  power  of  their 
communities,  and  the  progress  and  pros- 
perity of  his  home  city  are  largely  due 
to  his  public-spirited  efforts  and  to  the 
impetus  imparted  to  all  its  best  interests 
by  his  vitalizing  energy  and  well-directed 
enthusiasm. 


DAVIDSON.  George, 

Financier,  Enterprising  Citizen. 

George  Davidson,  a  resident  of  Beaver, 
and  president  of  the  First  National  Bank 
of  Beaver  Falls,  has  for  the  last  quarter 
of  a  century  been  a  prominent  factor  in 
the  financial  and  business  world  of  his 
community,  where  his  loyalty  and  public 
spirit  in  all  matters  afifecting  progress 
and  improvement  have  ever  been  of  the 
most  insistent  order. 

Mr.  Davidson  is  a  descendant  of  ances- 
tors who  as  Protestants  were  driven  by 
religious  persecution  from  their  native 
Scotland  and  took  refuge  in  the  northern 
counties  of  the  Green  Isle,  their  children 
and  grandchildren  forming  that  stalwart 
Scotch-Irish  stock  which  has  given  to  the 
United  States  some  of  her  best  and  ablest 
citizens.  The  founder  of  the  American 
branch  of  the  Davidson  family  came, 
about  1695,  from  the  North  of  Ireland 
and  settled  near  Harrisburg,  Cumber- 
land Valley,  Pennsylvania.  It  is  a  note- 
worthy fact  that  he  had  lived  in  London- 
derry during  the  famous  siege  of  that  city 
by  the  English. 

William  Davidson,  grandfather  of 
George   Davidson,   of   Beaver,   was   born 


I'ebruary  14,  1783,  at  Carlisle,  Cumber- 
land county,  Pennsylvania,  and  in  1808 
settled  in  Fayette  county,  in  the  same 
State.  His  first  important  position  was 
that  of  manager  of  Laurel  Furnace,  and 
later  he  became  ironmaster  at  Breakneck. 
Air.  Davidson  was  a  recognized  leader  in 
the  public  affairs  of  Fayette  county,  and 
stood  high  in  the  confidence  and  esteem 
of  his  fellow-citizens,  as  appears  from  the 
fact  that  he  was  a  member  of  both  the 
Senate  and  House  of  Pennsylvania,  serv- 
ing also  as  speaker  of  the  latter  body. 
His  influence  among  his  colleagues  in  the 
legislature  was  very  great.  Mr.  David- 
son married  Sarah  Rogers,  a  woman  of 
strong  personality  and  a  high  order  of 
intellect,  and  they  became  the  parents  of 
three  sons — among  them,  Daniel  R.,  men- 
tioned below — and  two  daughters. 

Daniel  R.  Davidson,  son  of  William 
and  Sarah  (Rogers)  Davidson,  was  born 
January  12,  1820,  at  Connellsville,  Penn- 
sylvania, where  the  greater  portion  of  his 
life  was  passed.  At  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  he  became  interested  in  the  project 
of  the  railroad  from  Pittsburgh  to  Con- 
nellsville, and  was  instrumental  in  secur- 
ing rights  of  way  and  funds  with  which 
to  further  the  undertaking.  The  road 
was  completed  in  five  years  and  became 
a  power  in  developing  the  business  re- 
sources of  this  part  of  the  State.  Later, 
Colonel  Davidson — as  he  was  always 
called — promoted  the  Fayette  County 
railroad,  and  he  was  also  one  of  the  pro- 
moters of  the  Southwestern  Pennsyl- 
vania railroad.  His  fine  business  abilities 
were  not  devoted  to  the  development  of 
railroads  alone,  but  were  also  of  inestima- 
ble service  in  utilizing  the  resources  of 
the  great  coking-coal  lands  in  Fayette 
county.  He  was  the  owner  of  two  plants 
in  the  coke  region  and  one  of  the  largest 
owners  of  coal  lands  in  Western  Pennsyl- 
vania.    He  was  president  of  the  Shoe  & 

955 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Leather  Bank  and  one  of  the  organizers 
of  the  Commercial  National  Bank  of 
Pittsburgh,  a  director  of  the  Pittsburgh 
National  Bank  of  Commerce  and  the 
Southwest  Pennsylvania  railroad.  Colo- 
nel Davidson  married  Margaret  C.  John- 
ston, daughter  of  Alexander  and  Mar- 
garet Clark  Johnston,  of  Connellsville, 
Pennsylvania,  a  v^'oman  of  rare  beauty, 
broad  culture  and  artistic  temperament, 
and  twelve  children  were  born  to  them, 
among  whom  were  the  following:  George, 
mentioned  below ;  James  J.,  a  sketch  of 
whom  appears  elsewhere  in  this  work ; 
and  Frederick,  a  prominent  business  man 
of  Beaver  Falls.  Colonel  Davidson  re- 
sided on  his  farm  near  Connellsville  until 
1865,  widely  sought  as  a  counsellor  in 
business,  politics  and  personal  matters. 
Though  actively  interested  in  public 
affairs  he  could  never  be  prevailed  upon 
to  accept  ofifice.  At  the  time  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  1884,  he  was  one  of  the 
most  prominent  men,  not  only  in  his  own 
county,  but  also  in  Western  Pennsyl- 
vania. 

George  Davidson,  seventh  child  of  Dan- 
iel R.  and  Margaret  C.  (Johnston)  David- 
son, was  born  October  13,  1859,  ^^  Con- 
nellsville, Fayette  county,  Pennsylvania, 
and  when  he  was  but  eight  years  of  age 
the  family  removed  to  Beaver  county.  He 
became  a  student  in  Beaver  Seminary.  In 
1877  he  entered  Bethany  College,  Beth- 
any, West  Virginia,  remaining  three 
years,  and  becoming,  at  the  end  of  that 
period,  associated  in  business  with  his 
father.  After  the  death  of  the  latter  he 
entered  the  service  of  the  West  Newton 
Paper  Company,  but  at  the  end  of  a  year 
went  west,  and  during  the  next  two  years 
prospected  in  the  Rocky  mountains.  Re- 
turning to  Beaver  again  in  1887,  Mr. 
Davidson  was  appointed  deputy  prothon- 
otary  of  the  county,  but  resigned  at  the 
end  of  a  year  in  order  to  accept  the  posi- 
tion of  cashier  of  the  Old  National  Bank 


of  New  Brighton.  During  the  interven- 
ing years  to  the  present  time  he  has  been 
connected  with  that  institution  as  cashier, 
vice-president  and  president.  Since  1905 
he  has  also  held  the  ofifice  of  president  of 
the  First  National  Bank  of  Beaver  Falls, 
and  he  is  recognized  as  one  of  the  most 
capable  and  reliable  financiers  in  West- 
ern Pennsylvania.  One  of  his  qualifica- 
tions is  that  of  far-sighted  sagacity,  and 
of  this  he  gave  signal  proof  during  the 
panic  of  1892-93.  At  that  trying  period 
Mr.  Davidson  was  one  of  the  few  bankers 
in  Beaver  county  who  appreciated  the 
necessity  for  a  clearing  house  and  advo- 
cated its  organization.  He  continued  to 
do  so  until  1897,  when,  through  the  co- 
operation of  other  bankers,  he  succeeded 
in  organizing  the  Beaver  County  Clear- 
ing House  Association  and  became  its 
first  manager.  Mr.  Davidson  is  director 
of  the  Davidson  Ore  Mining  Company, 
the  Union  Drawn  Steel  Company,  the 
Beaver  Clay  Manufacturing  Company 
and  the  Second  New  Brighton  Building 
and  Loan  Association.  He  belongs  to 
the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Beaver 
County  Children's  Home. 

Mr.  Davidson  is  aligned  as  a  supporter 
of  the  principles  and  policies  of  the  Re- 
publican party,  inasmuch  as  they  are  in 
accord  with  his  political  convictions,  and 
he  is  sincerely  interested  in  community 
affairs,  being  ever  in  sympathy  with  all 
measures  and  enterprises  projected  for 
the  furtherance  of  the  general  welfare. 
In  1912  he  was  elected  a  delegate  to  the 
Republican  National  Convention  in  ChiT 
cago  from  the  Beaver  Congressional  Dis- 
trict. Mr.  Davidson  enjoys  the  high  de- 
gree of  social  popularity  which,  in  any 
community,  would  inevitably  be  accorded 
him  as  a  cultured  gentleman,  genial  and 
courteous  and  possessing  those  sterling 
traits  of  character  which  never  fail  to 
command  respect. 

Mr.    Davidson    married,    February    14, 

956 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF   UJOGRAi'HY 


1883,  Mary,  daughter  of  the  Hon.  Samuel 
B.  and  Elizabeth  (Robinson)  Wilson.  A 
sketch  of  Mr.  Wilson  appears  on  another 
page  of  this  work.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  David- 
son are  the  parents  of  six  children :  Wil- 
liam and  Mary,  deceased ;  Daniel  R.,  en- 
gaged in  the  banking  business  at  New 
Brighton ;  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Walter  C. 
Durfee,  of  Boston,  Mas.sachusetts ;  Mar- 
garet J. ;  and  Samuel  Karl,  a  student  at 
Rensselaer  Polytechnic  Institute,  Troy, 
New  York.  The  family  are  prominent  in 
the  best  social  life  of  Beaver  Valley,  and 
their  beautiful  home,  "Westview,"  with 
its  charming  scenery,  is  noted  as  a  centre 
of  refinement  and  most  generous  hospital- 
ity. Mrs.  Davidson  is  a  native  of  Beaver 
county,  where  her  early  life  was  passed. 
She  has  inherited  her  father's  keen  intel- 
lect, remarkable  memory  and  oratorical 
ability,  and  her  work  as  a  reader,  marked 
as  it  is  by  eloquent  and  delicately  appre- 
ciative interpretation,  is  surpassed  by  few 
professionals.  Miss  Margaret  J.  David- 
son is  now  doing  post-graduate  work 
under  Dr.  Arthur  Reginald  Little,  direc- 
tor of  the  Conservatory  of  Music.  Noted 
musical  critics  have  united  in  bestowing 
a  high  degree  of  praise  on  Miss  David- 
son's talent  and  work,  which  are  both  of 
rare  and  exceptional  excellence. 

Mr.  Davidson  is  one  of  those  men  who 
are  valuable  wherever  found,  essential  as 
their  presence  is  to  the  well-being  of  any 
community — men  of  business  ability  and 
integrity  of  character,  who  place  duty  be- 
fore every  other  consideration  and  po.s- 
sess  the  courage  of  their  convictions. 


BAUGH,  Daniel, 

Man  of  Large  Affairs,  Philanthropist. 

Seldom,  indeed,  is  it  that  the  different 
elements  and  interests  essential  to  the 
progress  and  well-being  of  a  great  city 
are  represented  and  strengthened  by  the 


same  man,  but  a  notable  exemplification 
of  wide-reaching  and  comprehensive  force 
is  furnished  by  the  career  of  Daniel 
Baugh,  of  Philadelphia,  president  of  the 
celebrated  Baugh  &  Sons  Company,  and 
for  more  than  a  half  century  prominently 
identified  with  all  the  most  vital  interests 
of  the  metropolis  of  Pennsylvania.  Mr. 
Baugh  is  a  representative  of  one  of  those 
old  German  families  which,  from  an  early 
period  in  our  colonial  history,  have  con- 
tributed so  largely  to  the  upbuilding  of 
the  commonwealth. 

Bach  (as  the  name  was  origi- 
nally spelled),  great-great-grandfather  of 
Daniel  Baugh,  emigrated  from  Germany 
not  many  years  prior  to  the  Revolution- 
ary War,  and  purchased  land  in  Tredy- 
fTryn  township,  Chester  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, founding  a  home  for  himself  and 
his  descendants.  His  son,  John  Baugh, 
and  his  grandson,  Daniel  Baugh,  were 
born  on  the  homestead. 

John  Pugh  Baugh,  son  of  Daniel 
Baugh,  was  born  on  the  ancestral  estate, 
and  when  a  young  man  served  in  the  war 
of  1812.  In  i860  he  removed  to  Philadel- 
phia, and  during  the  remainder  of  his  life 
was  identified  with  the  manufacturing 
interests  of  that  city.  He  was  a  leading 
citizen,  taking  a  public-spirited  interest 
in  municipal  affairs,  and  it  was  in  his 
honor  that  the  John  P.  Baugh  public 
school  received  its  name.  Mr.  Baugh 
married  Hannah  Krauser,  of  an  old  Ger- 
man family  of  Chester  county,  and  two 
sons  and  two  daughters  were  born  to 
them.  Of  these,  all  of  whom  reached 
maturity,  Daniel  (mentioned  below)  is 
the  sole  survivor. 

Daniel  Baugh,  son  of  John  Pugh  and 
Hannah  (Krauser)  Baugh,  was  born  Oc- 
tober 22,  1836,  in  Chester  county,  and 
received  his  early  education  at  a  private 
academy  presided  over  by  the  late  Pro- 
fessor  James    McClune.      Upon    the    re- 


1957 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


moval  of  this  preceptor  from  Chester 
county  to  the  Philadelphia  high  school, 
Daniel  was  sent  to  Norristown  to  con- 
tinue his  studies  at  the  Fremont  Semi- 
nary, where  he  was  fully  prepared  to 
enter  college.  The  conditions  of  his 
father's  business  being  such  as  to  require 
his  assistance,  he  relinquished  the  pros- 
pect of  a  collegiate  course  and  returned 
home,  entering  at  once  upon  an  active 
business  career.  His  intellect,  however, 
was  of  that  order  which  can  safely  be 
trusted  to  guide  its  own  development, 
and  the  leisure  hours  which  he  devoted 
to  the  acquisition  of  knowledge  were 
richer  in  results  than  are  years  spent  by 
the  average  youth  in  college  or  univer- 
sity. 

The  business  with  which  Mr.  Baugh 
thus  early  became  associated  was  a  suc- 
cessor to  one  founded  by  his  great-grand- 
father, John  Baugh,  who  had  been  en- 
gaged in  tanning  or  in  some  way  con- 
nected with  the  leather  trade.  Daniel 
Baugh,  the  grandfather,  and  his  brothers, 
owned  four  or  five  tanneries  in  Chester 
county  until  the  scarcity  of  bark  and  the 
introduction  of  more  advanced  methods 
compelled  the  removal  of  the  business  to 
the  more  sparsely  settled  and  better 
wooded  sections  of  Pennsylvania.  In 
consequence  of  this,  John  Pugh  Baugh 
decided  in  1853  to  direct  his  energies  into 
some  new  channel,  and  after  a  year  or 
two  of  experimental  and  technical  inves- 
tigation on  the  subject  of  crop  fertiliza- 
tion by  artificial  and  chemical  means — an 
investigation  in  which  he  was  assisted 
by  his  two  sons,  Edwin  P.  and  Daniel — 
the  time  seemed  to  have  arrived  for  the 
inauguration  of  the  new  enterprise.  The 
power  and  machinery  incidental  to  the 
old  business  were  utilized  in  the  new,  and 
in  1855  the  firm  of  Baugh  &  Sons  was 
established  and  the  manufacture  of  super- 
phosphate begun.     During  the  first  year 


the  product  of  the  works  was  quickly 
absorbed  by  a  purely  local  demand  and 
it  became  evident  that  the  facilities  were 
inadequate  for  the  supply  of  the  rapidly 
opening  field.  In  1856  a  special  plant 
was  erected  at  Downingtown,  on  Brandy- 
wine  creek,  and  in  i860  was  moved  to 
Philadelphia,  the  Delaware  River  Chemi- 
cal Works  being  then  established.  The 
ensuing  years  witnessed  the  addition  of 
new  lines  of  manufacture  pertaining  to 
chemicals  and  kindred  products,  and  the 
business  rapidly  assumed  a  very  high  de- 
gree of  scientific  importance. 

In  1887  the  firm  was  incorporated  under 
the  laws  of  Pennsylvania,  with  Edwin  P. 
Baugh  as  president,  the  father  and  senior 
partner  having  died  in  1881,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-five.  In  1888  occurred  the  death 
of  Edwin  P.  Baugh,  and  since  that  event 
Daniel  Baugh  has  been  the  active  head 
of  this  famous  concern.  Under  his  able 
management,  directed  by  sound  judg- 
ment, far-sighted  sagacity  and  unfalter- 
ing enterprise,  the  Delaware  River  Chem- 
ical Works  has  become  one  of  the  leading 
establishments  of  its  kind  in  the  world, 
and  now  comprises,  in  many  respects,  a 
unique  and  interesting  group  of  scientific 
operations,  requiring  precisely  that  policy 
of  fearless  and  enlightened  progressive- 
ness  wisely  tempered  by  cool  conserva- 
tism which  has  ever  been  the  distinctive 
feature  of  Mr.  Baugh's  administration. 
In  1888  a  branch  office  was  established 
at  Norfolk,  Virginia,  where  a  manufac- 
turing plant  is  now  in  process  of  erection. 
In  1903  the  Baugh  Chemical  Company  of 
Baltimore  was  organized,  and  has  be- 
come a  very  important  adjunct  to  the 
business. 

Of  all  these  allied  concerns,  Mr.  Baugh 
is  president,  being  also  sole  owner  of  the 
Baugh  &  Sons  Company,  while  in  the 
two  concerns  established  later,  which  are 
close    corporations,    he    is    the    principal 


1958 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


shareholder.  Born  to  command,  wise  to 
plan,  he  is  quick  in  action  and  capable  of 
prolonged  labor  with  the  power  of  close 
concentration.  He  possesses  that  stern 
and  inflexible  sense  of  commercial  justice 
— to  himself  and  to  others — which  makes 
for  the  prosperity  of  those  associated 
with  him.  It  is  such  men  that  the  world 
needs — men  of  unquestioned  integrity 
and  honor,  capable  of  managing  gigantic 
commercial  and  industrial  concerns  and 
conducting  business  on  terms  fair  alike 
to  employer  and  employed.  When  there 
are  more  m,en  of  this  type  the  world-old 
controversy  between  capital  and  labor 
will  be  forever  at  rest. 

The  inexhaustible  energy  of  Mr.  Baugh, 
together  with  his  ability  to  give  due  at- 
tention to  a  variety  of  interests,  has  en- 
abled him  to  associate  himself  with  nu- 
merous institutions.  He  is  a  director  in 
the  Girard  National  Bank,  the  Delaware 
Insurance  Company  and  the  Philadelphia 
Bourse ;  a  member  of  the  board  of  trus- 
tees of  Jefferson  Medical  College  and 
Hospital,  and  of  Rush  Hospital,  and  one 
of  the  managers  of  Howard  Hospital.  He 
is  president  of  the  School  of  Design  for 
Women,  trustee  of  the  Philadelphia  Mu- 
seum and  a  member  of  the  Permanent 
Relief  Committee  of  Philadelphia. 

In  his  early  manhood  the  business 
career  of  Mr.  Baugh,  like  that  of  many 
another  man  of  his  generation,  was  inter- 
rupted by  the  Civil  War.  In  1862  he 
enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  Grey  Reserves 
of  Philadelphia,  and  served  with  his  regi- 
ment when  it  was  sent  by  Governor  Cur- 
tin  to  the  defense  of  Pennsylvania  at  that 
crisis  in  our  national  history  when  Gen- 
eral Lee,  with  a  vast  army,  threatened 
the  invasion  of  the  North.  The  Grey  Re- 
serves were  sent  over  the  State  lines 
about  the  time  the  battles  of  South  Moun- 
tain and  Antietam  were  fought,  and  were 
mrr-cr]  from  r  oint  to  point  between  W^il- 


liamsjjort,  Maryland,  and  Boonsboro  dur- 
ing the  days  immediately  following  the 
latter  engagement.  When  the  service  of 
his  company  was  completed,  Mr.  Jau?^'. 
returned  home  and  resumed  his  place  in 
the   business   world. 

Despite  the  exceptional  success  achiev- 
ed by  Mr.  Baugh  as  a  business  man,  it  is 
a  mistake  to  think  of  him  chiefly  in  that 
character.  The  fact  that  his  commercial 
triumphs  never  interfered  with  steadfast 
devotion  to  the  highest  purposes  of  his 
life  is  the  strongest  proof  of  that  com- 
manding intellect  and  capacious  heart 
which  have  won  for  him  the  respect  and 
love  of  his  fellow-men.  For  twelve  years 
he  was  president  of  the  Sanitarium  As- 
sociation, during  which  time  this  noble 
charity  outgrew  its  restricted  quarters  on 
Windmill  Island  and  was  successfully 
transplanted  to  its  own  land  in  a  beau- 
tiful park  at  Red  Bank,  on  the  shores  of 
the  Delaware. 

Since  June  2,  1896,  Mr.  Baugh  has  been 
a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of 
Jefiferson  Medical  College  and  Hospital, 
and  he  has  ever  since  been  the  moving 
spirit  of  that  institution,  serving  on  the 
college  committee  and  as  chairman  of  the 
hospital  committee  of  the  board.  He  was 
one  of  the  most  active  members  of  the 
building  committee  which  erected  the 
present  hospital  structure  (1904-07),  not 
only  raising  the  majority  of  the  funds 
for  this  purpose,  but,  in  association  with 
Mr.  Alba  B.  Johnson,  superintending  the 
construction.  Under  their  watchful  and 
economic  care  the  building  was  com- 
pleted at  a  cost  of  a  little  over  $900,000, 
thus  saving  the  institution  over  $300,000, 
as  compared  with  the  bids  of  $1,250,000 
received  for  the  work.  Mr.  Baugh  was 
also  chairman  of  the  committee  entrusted 
with  the  furnishing  and  equipment  of  the 
hospital,  and  later  he  personally  raised 
the  funds  to  provide  two  electric  ambu- 

959 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


lances.  He  has  now  undertaken  to  re- 
install a  much  enlarged  and  thoroughly 
equipped  X-ray  department.  The  total 
valuation  of  this  institution  at  the  time 
Mr.  Baugh  became  connected  with  it  was 
less  than  $400,000,  while  today,  owing  to 
the  energetic  cooperation  of  Mr.  Baugh 
and  Mr.  Johnson,  with  the  efforts  of 
President  Potter,  it  is  valued  at  over  $2,- 
000,000.  Jeflferson  Hospital  is  now  re- 
cognized as  the  most  modern  institution 
of  the  kind  in  the  world,  and  this  is  very 
largely  due  to  the  fact  that  the  policy 
pursued  by  Mr.  Baugh  has  been  never 
to  consider  that  a  state  of  perfection  has 
been  reached,  but  to  constantly  remem- 
ber that  the  institution  must  either  ad- 
vance or  recede.  In  following  this  course 
Mr.  Baugh  has  distinctly  displayed  one  of 
his  most  marked  characteristics — that  of 
desiring  nothing  but  the  best  and  of 
never  resting  satisfied  until  the  best  is 
obtained.  He  is  a  man  of  high  ideals — 
and  which  is  more  remarkable — one  who 
never  relaxes  his  efforts  until  those  ideals 
are  realized. 

It  is  stated  on  the  authority  of  Dr. 
Copeland,  superintendent  of  Jefiferson 
Hospital,  that  when  Mr.  Baugh  is  in  the 
city  there  is  seldom  a  day  on  which  he 
does  not  spend  some  time  at  the  hospi- 
tal, deciding,  with  characteristic  prompt- 
ness and  accuracy,  the  various  problems 
of  policy  and  administration  submitted  to 
him.  He  possesses  the  rare  faculty  of 
being  able  to  inspire  others  with  his  own 
enthusiasm,  and,  in  consequence  of  this, 
when  funds  were  to  be  raised,  he  has, 
first  giving  liberally  himself,  accom- 
plished, with  marvellous  celerity,  the 
seemingly  impossible. 

President  William  Potter  has  said  of 
Mr.  Baugh  that  he  is  the  most  valuable 
man  ever  connected  with  the  board  of 
trustees  of  Jefiferson  Medical  College  and 
Hospital,  contributing  as  he  has,  not  only 
of  his  means,  but  his  time  and  his  intel- 


ligence, applying  to  the  conduct  of  its 
affairs  the  same  remarkable  administra- 
tive abilities  which  he  brings  to  bear 
upon  his  business  transactions. 

After  having  for  many  years  contri- 
buted largely  to  Jefferson  Hospital,  Mr. 
Baugh  has  recently  made  the  College  the 
special  object  of  his  munificence  by  pre- 
senting to  it  the  building  of  the  old  Penn- 
sylvania Dental  College,  which  he  pur- 
chased at  his  own  expense.  He  is  re- 
modeling the  structure  and  fitting  it  up 
with  every  facility,  intending  to  make  it 
the  finest  museum  of  anatomy  in  the 
United  States.  When  completed  it  will 
represent  a  gift  of  over  one  hundred 
thousand  dollars.  The  board  of  trustees 
of  the  college  have  ordered  that  this 
building  shall  always  be  known  as  the 
Daniel  Baugh  Institute  of  Anatomy. 

For  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  Mr. 
Baugh  has  been  president  of  the  School 
of  Design  for  Women,  an  institution  for 
the  training  of  young  women  in  the  field 
of  applied  art,  as  designers,  in  order  to 
enable  them  to  become  self-supporting. 
The  school  now  occupies  a  historic 
building,  once  the  residence  of  Edwin 
Forrest,  which  was  purchased  and  en- 
larged for  the  institution  and  is  now  free 
from  incumbrance.  The  management  is 
entrusted  to  men  and  women  who  take 
a  personal  interest  in  the  progress  and 
success  of  the  students,  and  it  would  be 
impossible  to  estimate  the  good  that  has 
been  accomplished  by  this  noble  institu- 
tion. 

In  1887  Mr.  Baugh  was  one  of  the  or- 
ganizers of  the  Philadelphia  Art  Club, 
and  six  months  later  became  its  treas- 
urer, an  office  which  he  held  until  1892, 
when  he  resigned  in  order  to  accept  the 
presidency.  To  this  position  he  was  re- 
elected for  nine  consecutive  years,  re- 
signing in  September,  1901,  by  reason  of 
increasing  business  obligations.  During 
his   administration   the   organization    de- 


1960 


encyclopp:dia  of  biography 


veloped  from  an  undertaking  of  very  un- 
certain promise  into  one  of  the  most  pros- 
perous and  popular  social  organizations 
of  Philadelphia.  Since  the  completion  of 
the  club's  art  galleries,  annual  exhibitions 
have  been  held,  open  to  competition,  by 
American  artists,  and  there  have  also 
been  monthly  exhibits  of  the  work  of 
artist  members  of  the  club,  free  of  ex- 
pense. During  the  first  few  years  of  its 
existence  the  club  passed  through  some 
very  discouraging  phases  in  its  efforts  to 
establish  in  practical  form  its  organic 
provision,  that  the  artistic  and  social  in- 
terests of  club  life  must  cooperate  for  the 
common  good.  How  well  Mr.  Baugh 
succeeded  in  harmonizing  these  elements 
and  in  overcoming  all  obstacles  to  the 
club's  progress  is  evident  in  the  personal 
popularity  and  hearty  support  accorded 
him  by  all  its  members  and  in  the  attain- 
ment of  the  present  prosperity  of  the 
club  along  the  lines  of  its  original  aims. 
Several  times  during  the  latter  years  of 
his  presidency  he  strongly  objected  to  his 
renomination,  but  was  loyally  voted  in, 
and  he  was  finally  forced  to  insist  upon 
the  acceptance  of  his  resignation.  Upon 
that  occasion  appreciative  resolutions 
were  passed  by  the  board  of  directors, 
and  at  a  dinner  given  in  his  honor  by  the 
club,  not  long  after,  he  was  presented 
with  a  magnificent  loving  cup. 

The  Art  Federation  was  a  monument 
to  Mr.  Baugh's  public  spirit  as  applied  to 
municipal  affairs,  in  connection  with  art. 
Its  organization,  in  1900,  was  chiefly  ow- 
ing to  his  efforts  and  he  was  elected  its 
first  president.  For  two  years  this  body 
concentrated  its  energies  on  the  project 
of  securing  a  magnificent  boulevard  to 
run  diagonally  through  the  city  from  the 
city  hall  to  Fairmount  Park.  In  his  en- 
thusiastic leadership  of  this  movement 
Mr.  Baugh  rendered  most  valuable  ser- 
vice until  a  point  was  reached  when  it 
became  advisable  to  form  a  new  organi- 


zation with  which  the  Art  Federation  was 
merged — the  Parkway  Association,  which 
has  since  accomplished,  with  some  slight 
changes,  the  original  project. 

Another  movement  in  which  Mr. 
Baugh  was  keenly  interested  was  the  es- 
tablishment of  the  Museum  of  Archae- 
ology and  Palaeontology  and  the  forma- 
tion of  the  Aichaeological  Association, 
and  in  1891,  in  association  with  others, 
he  was  instrumental  in  founding  the  De- 
partment of  Archaeology  and  Palaeon- 
tology of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania. 
In  1894  Dr.  Pepper  resigned  as  provost 
of  the  university  in  order  to  accept  the 
presidency  of  this  department,  devoting 
his  few  remaining  years  to  a  strenuous 
effort  to  make  it  one  of  the  foremost  in- 
stitutions of  its  kind  in  the  United  States. 
Upon  the  death  of  Dr.  Pepper  Mr.  Baugh 
was  elected  his  successor,  and  for  sev- 
eral years  devoted  his  best  efforts  to  the 
successful  discharge  of  this  great  trust. 
During  his  administration  the  department 
was  brought  to  its  present  state  of  com- 
pleteness and  efficiency  and  the  present 
wing  of  the  Museum  of  Science  and  Art 
was  erected,  the  large  collections  of  Egyp- 
tian, Babylonian  and  Mediterranean  ob- 
jects being  installed  therein.  Upon  its  for- 
mal transfer  to  the  trustees  of  the  uni- 
versity Mr.  Baugh  made  the  presentation 
address,  and  soon  after,  considering  the 
period  of  his  greatest  usefulness  to  the 
institution  terminated,  he  resigned  the 
presidency.  The  strongest  possible  efforts 
were  made  to  induce  him  to  reconsider 
his  resignation,  but,  needless  to  say, 
without  effect,  Mr.  Baugh  adhering  to 
his  resolution  with  the  quiet  force  and 
persistency  characteristic  of  men  of  his 
type. 

On  January  i,  1898,  in  association  with 
Dr.  William  Pepper  and  other  eminent 
physicians  of  Philadelphia,  Mr.  Baugh 
established  the  "Philadelphia  Medical 
Journal,"  which  he  conducted  as  president 
961 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


for  six  years,  when  it  was  merged  with 
the  "New  York  Medical  Journal."  In 
this  undertaking  Mr.  Baugh  had  the  co- 
operation of  the  finest  medical  and  scien- 
tific minds  in  the  largest  cities  of  the 
United  States,  and  as  the  "Philadelphia 
Medical  Journal"  the  magazine  attained 
not  only  a  wide  circulation  and  high  de- 
gree of  popularity  among  American  phy- 
sicians, but  an  exalted  international  repu- 
tation. 

The  social  affiliations  of  Mr.  Baugh  in- 
clude membership  in  the  Union  League 
Club,  Philadelphia  Art  Club,  Markham 
Club,  Penn  Club,  Racquet  Club,  Merion 
Cricket  Club,  Corinthian  Yacht  Club  and 
Philadelphia  Country  Club.  Personally, 
Mr.  Baugh  is  a  man  of  large  stature,  of 
imposing  presence,  his  strong,  clear-cut 
features,  notably  the  determined  chin, 
denoting  the  force  and  intensity  which 
have  forbidden  him  to  recognize  defeat, 
or  even  its  possibility,  while  the  eyes, 
which  look  the  beholder  straight  in  the 
face  with  a  glance  piercing  yet  kindly, 
are  those  of  one  accustomed  to  reading 
the  future  and  facing  with  undaunted 
courage  crises  which  would  appall  men 
of  less  heroic  mould.  He  possesses  that 
greatest  of  all  assets — personality,  and 
the  dominant  expression  conveyed  by 
that  personality  is  strength.  He  is  full 
of  intellectual  and  physical  vitality,  in 
perfect  command  of  his  bodily  and  men- 
tal powers,  and  capable  of  accomplish- 
ing a  greater  amount  of  work  than  many 
men  of  half  his  years.  His  silvered  hair 
and  moustache,  together  with  his  digni- 
fied bearing,  give  him  a  singular  air  of 
distinction,  while  his  manner,  at  once 
courtly  and  genial,  wins  while  it  controls. 

Mr.  Baugh  married,  October  22,  1861, 
at  Downingtown,  Chester  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, Anna,  daughter  of  Allen  Wood 
Wills,  of  that  place,  and  they  have  been 
the  parents  of  four  children  :  John  Pugh, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  seven  years ;  Ed- 


win Pugh,  married,  in  1898,  Grace, 
daughter  of  the  late  Howard  Munnik- 
huysen,  one  of  the  most  prominent  law- 
yers and  capitalists  of  Baltimore,  and 
lives  in  a  beautiful  country  seat  built  by 
him  on  the  banks  of  the  Severn,  near 
Annapolis,  Maryland ;  Elizabeth,  wife  of 
Benjamin  Harris  Brewster,  Jr.,  of  Balti- 
more ;  and  Paul  Daniel,  married  Joseph- 
ine Fay  Glaser,  of  Asheville,  North 
Carolina,  and  is  now  in  Europe.  Mr. 
Baugh  has  five  grandchildren,  two  girls 
and  three  boys.  By  his  marriage  Mr. 
Baugh  gained  the  life  companionship  of 
a  charming  and  congenial  woman,  one  of 
those  rare  women  who  combine  with  per- 
fect womanliness  and  domesticity  an  un- 
erring judgment,  traits  of  the  greatest 
value  to  her  husband,  to  whom  she  is  not 
alone  a  charming  companion,  but  a  con- 
fidante and  adviser.  Mrs.  Baugh  has 
for  many  years  been  the  moving  spirit 
in  the  Institute  of  Sheltering  Arms,  as 
also  in  the  Women's  Directory,  and  is 
actively  identified  with  various  other 
public  and  private  charities. 

A  man  of  strong  domestic  tastes  and 
affections,  Mr.  Baugh  is  devoted  to  his 
family  and  friends,  and  his  beautiful 
home,  built  by  himself  nearly  a  score  of 
years  ago,  is  a  centre  of  gracious  hospi- 
tality, Mrs.  Baugh  being  one  of  the  city's 
most  tactful  and  popular  hostesses.  The 
house  is  modestly,  not  profusely,  enrich- 
ed with  mementoes  of  travel,  Mr.  Baugh 
having,  for  the  last  thirty-five  years,  spent 
at  least  five  or  six  months  annually  in  the 
Old  World.  His  delight  in  ancient  his- 
tory has  carried  him  twice  around  the 
globe,  to  every  island  and  coast  in  the 
Mediterranean,  and  has  taken  him  many 
times  to  the  banks  of  the  Nile. 

The  city  of  Philadelphia  was  named  by 
William  Penn  and  his  associates  in  re- 
cognition of  those  principles  of  peace  and 
good  will  which  they  believed  to  be  in 
accordance  with  the  highest  ideals  of 
962 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OJ-    BIOGRAPHY 


life.  Those  principles,  albeit  not  always 
manifested  precisely  after  the  manner  of 
the  founders,  continue,  after  the  lapse  of 
more  than  two  centuries,  to  animate 
Philadelphians  of  the  present  day.  Es- 
pecially is  the  City  of  Brotherly  Love 
made  to  verify  its  name  by  men  who, 
while  they  increase  its  material  prosper- 
ity and  advance  it  in  the  realms  of  art, 
literature  and  science,  minister  to  its  suf- 
fering and  afflicted  and  labor  for  the  up- 
lifting of  humanity — men  of  the  type  of 
Daniel  Baugh. 


GILPIN,  Washington  Hood, 

Prominent   liaTPyer. 

Prior  to  183 1  the  progenitors  of  Wash- 
ington Hood  Gilpin  were  residents  of  the 
State  of  Delaware,  Chester  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, Warborough.  Oxfordshire, 
England,  descendants  of  Richard  de 
Gylpyn,  to  whom  the  Baron  of  Kendal 
granted  the  estate  of  Kentmere,  county 
of  Westmoreland,  in  or  about  the  year 
1206,  King  John  then  monarch  of  Eng- 
land. The  name  and  family  of  Gilpin  is 
doubtless  of  Norman  origin,  as  the  name, 
traced  from  authentic  English  records  for 
eight  generations,  was  spelled  de  Gylpyn. 
Genealogical  records  of  the  family,  care- 
fully collected  and  preserved,  showing 
the  descent  from  Richard  de  Gylpyn,  may 
be  seen  in  the  Gilpin  Library  of  the  His- 
torical Society  of  Pennsylvania. 

Joseph  Gilpin,  the  American  ancestor,  a 
lineal  descendant  of  Richard  de  Gylpyn, 
came  to  Pennsylvania  with  his  wife  and 
two  children  in  1695,  landing  at  New 
Castle.  He  settled  in  Concord  township, 
Chester  county,  Pennsylvania,  prospered, 
and  became  one  of  the  prominent  Friends 
of  Concord  Meeting.  He  married  Han- 
nah Glover,  and  of  their  fifteen  children 
but  one  died  under  the  age  of  sixty  years. 
At  the  death  of  Joseph  Gilpin,  November 
9.   ^739.  he  had  forty-five  living  grand- 

PEN— Vol  VI-9  I 


children,  and  at  the  death  of  Hannah 
(Glover)  Gilpin,  January  12,  1757,  all 
fifteen  of  her  children  had  married,  twelve 
of  them  were  living,  there  were  sixty-two 
grandchildren  and  nearly  as  many  great- 
grandchildren, one  hundred  and  thirty- 
three  living  descendants  in  all.  The  line 
of  descent  to  Washington  Hood  Gilpin 
is  through  Joseph,  eighth  child  of  the 
founder,  who  in  1761  moved  to  near  Wil- 
mington, Delaware;  his  son  Vincent,  a 
flour  mill  owner  and  shipping  merchant 
of  Wilmington ;  his  son  Edward,  a  mer- 
chant of  Wilmington  until  1831,  then  a 
resident  of  Philadelphia ;  his  son  Charles, 
father  of  Washington  Hood,  Hood  and 
Bernard,  all  eminent  members  of  the 
Philadelphia  bar,  another  son,  Charles, 
choosing  a  business  career. 

Charles  Gilpin,  youngest  child  of  Ed- 
ward and  Lydia  (Grubb)  Gilpin,  was 
born  in  Wilmington,  Delaware,  Novem- 
ber 17,  1809,  died  in  Philadelphia.  He 
was  admitted  to  the  Philadelphia  bar  in 
1834,  and  was  there  in  practice  for  half 
a  century.  He  was  also  distinguished  in 
public  life  as  a  member  of  Common 
Council  in  1839,  Select  Council  in  1840, 
mayor  in  1850,  serving  three  years,  so- 
licitor to  the  sherifif,  1858  to  1883,  with 
the  exception  of  two  terms.  United  States 
Attorney  for  the  Eastern  District  of 
Pennsylvania,  1864-1868,  and  supervisor 
of  elections  for  the  same  district.  He 
married,  April  5,  1843,  Sarah  Hamilton, 
born  at  "Bessie  Bell  Farm,"  Montgom- 
ery county,  Pennsylvania,  April  17,  1815, 
daughter  of  John  McClellan  and  Eliza- 
beth (Forepaugh)  Hood,  of  Race  street, 
Philadelphia,  "Bessie  Bell  Farm"  being 
the  Hood  country  seat. 

Washington  Hood  Gilpin,  eldest  son  of 
Charles  and  Sarah  Hamilton  (Hood)  Gil- 
pin, was  born  at  what  is  now  No.  709 
Walnut  street,  Philadelphia.  February  2, 
1844,  died  in  his  native  city,  April  5,  191 1. 
After  preparation  in  private  Philadelphia 
963 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


schools  he  entered  the  college  department 
of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  in  i860 
at  the  age  of  sixteen  years,  and  was  grad- 
uated A.  M.,  class  of  '64.  He  studied  law 
under  his  distinguished  father,  and  in 
1866  was  admitted  to  the  Philadelphia 
bar.  He  rose  to  the  highest  rank  in  his 
profession,  and  was  continuously  en- 
gaged in  practice  in  all  State  and  Federal 
courts  of  the  Philadelphia  district  until 
his  death.  His  work  was  largely  in  the 
handling  and  settlement  of  estates. 

Mr.  Gilpin  was  lieutenant  of  the  Uni- 
versity Light  Artillery  during  the  Civil 
War,  and  a  private  of  the  Gray  Reserves. 
In  later  years  he  was  an  officer  of  the 
Pennsylvania  National  Guard,  ranking  as 
captain  and  lieutenant-colonel  of  the  First 
Regiment,  on  duty  in  suppressing  riots 
at  the  Susquehanna  Depot,  Hazleton, 
Jeddo,  Pittsburgh,  and  Scranton.  He 
was  a  charter  member  of  the  Union  Lea- 
gue, of  the  Rittenhouse  Club,  and  of  the 
various  bar  associations. 

Mr.  Gilpin  married,  October  16,  1873, 
Louisa,  daughter  of  John  and  Anna  Bald- 
win (Colton)  Clayton,  the  latter  a  niece 
and  adopted  daughter  of  Matthias  W. 
Baldwin,  the  founder  of  the  great  loco- 
motive building  industry  in  Philadelphia, 
known  as  "Baldwin's."  Mrs.  Gilpin,  a 
member  of  the  Colonial  Dames  of  Amer- 
ica, survives  her  husband,  residing  at  No. 
2004  De  Lancey  Place,  Philadelphia,  the 
family  home  since  i8go.  Children,  all 
born  at  No.  2026  De  Lancey  Place : 
Louisa  Clayton,  married  Israel  Wistar 
Morris,  two  children — Louise  Gilpin  and 
I.  Wistar,  Jr. ;  Charles  (3)  ;  John  Clayton, 
married  Lucy  Disston ;  Washington 
Hood  (2),  deceased;  George,  married 
Edith  Kirkpatrick ;  Sarah  Hood,  married 
Stanley  Bright,  of  Reading,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  has  three  children — Stanley, 
Jr.,  Joseph  Colman,  Sarah  Gilpin ;  Anna 
Baldwin. 


FISHER,  Sydney  George, 

JjttxrjeT,   Historian,   Iiitteratenr. 

That  man  lives  not  to  himself  alone 
is  an  assurance  that  is  amply  verified  in 
all  the  affairs  of  life,  but  its  pertinence 
is  the  more  patent  in  those  instances 
where  persons  have  so  employed  their 
inherent  talents,  so  improved  their  op- 
portunities, so  marshaled  their  forces,  as 
to  gain  prestige  which  finds  its  angle  of 
influence  ever  broadening  in  practical 
beneficence  and  human  helpfulness.  He 
whose  helpful  activities  are  directed  along 
legitimate  and  normal  lines  is  by  virtue 
of  that  very  fact  exerting  a  force  which 
conserves  human  progress  and  prosperity, 
and  that  man  of  capacity  for  business  af- 
fairs of  importance  finds  himself  an  in- 
voluntary steward  upon  whom  devolve 
large  responsibilities.  To  the  extent  that 
he  appreciates  these  duties  and  respon- 
sibilities and  proves  faithful  in  his  stew- 
ardship does  he  also  contribute  to  the 
well  being  of  the  world  in  which  he 
moves. 

Sydney  George  Fisher,  of  Essington, 
Delaware  county,  Pennsylvania,  lawyer, 
historian,  political  economist,  biographer 
and  sportsman — a  combination  rarely  met 
with — is  essentially  a  man  who  "does 
things,"  and  does  them  well.  While  the 
intellectual  interests  of  Mr.  Fisher's  na- 
ture are  developed,  the  human  side  of  it 
is  very  much  in  evidence,  and  with  this 
kept  in  mind  his  work  in  law  and  litera- 
ture becomes  of  double  interest.  His  his- 
torical works  are  full  of  human  interest 
and  show  originality  of  treatment,  rather 
startling  boldness  in  the  use  of  modern 
historical  methods,  but  portraying  men 
and  occurrences  in  a  manner  that  one  can 
feel  and  understand  is  truth  and  not  fancy. 
His  men  are  real  men  and  not  the  lay 
figures  that  Washington  and  others  of 
our  Revolutionary  fathers  are  represented 
964 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF   BIOGRAPHY 


to  be  by  most  of  our  historians.  He  goes 
to  the  original  sources  of  information 
among  the  letters,  documents  and  old 
pamphlets  of  the  time. 

His  father,  Sydney  George  Fisher  Sr., 
was  born  in  Philadelphia,  March  2,  1809, 
and  died  on  his  farm,  Forest  Hill,  north 
of  the  city,  July  25,  1871.  He  was  grad- 
uated from  Dickinson  College  in  the  class 
of  1827,  studied  law,  and  in  his  early  life 
practiced  this  profession  in  Philadelphia. 
He  acquired  a  national  reputation  as  a 
political  writer  under  the  nom  de  plume 
of  Cecil,  and  also  Kent,  the  Civil  War 
problems  of  slavery  and  secession  form- 
ing the  basis  of  the  greatest  number  of 
his  writings.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Union  League  of  Philadelphia,  and  an 
ardent  supporter  with  pen  and  speech  of 
the  administration  and  character  of  Pres- 
ident Lincoln.  He  married  Elizabeth  In- 
gersoll,  who  was  of  Connecticut  descent. 

Sydney  George  Fisher  Jr.  was  born  in 
Philadelphia,  September  11,  1856,  and  was 
brought  up  on  his  father's  farm,  which 
had  old  forest  trees  and  two  streams  run- 
ning through  it ;  it  was  there  he  probably 
acquired  his  strong  liking  for  animals,  na- 
ture and  country  life.  Both  of  his  par- 
ents were  deceased  when  he  reached  the 
age  of  sixteen  years,  and  he  became  a 
boarding  pupil  at  St.  Paul's  School  at 
Concord,  New  Hampshire,  and  was  there 
prepared  for  entrance  to  Trinity  College, 
Hartford,  Connecticut,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1879  with 
the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  Since 
that  time  the  Western  University  of 
Pennsylvania  conferred  upon  him  the  de- 
gree of  Doctor  of  Literature,  this  insti- 
tution now  being  known  as  the  University 
of  Pittsburgh ;  Trinity  College  conferred 
the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws ;  and  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania,  that  of  Doc- 
tor of  Laws.  After  his  graduation  he 
returned  to  Philadelphia,  where  he  read 
law.  then  became  a  student  in  the  Har- 


vard Law  School,  and  was  admitted  to 
the  Philadelphia  bar  in  1883.  ^o*"  some 
years  he  continued  in  the  practice  of  his 
profession,  during  which  time  he  was 
admitted  to  all  State  and  Federal  courts 
of  the  district,  and  obtained  a  reputation 
as  a  young  lawyer  of  ambition  and  abil- 
ity. Lie  wrote  a  number  of  articles  for 
legal  periodicals — "Are  the  Departments 
of  Government  Independent  of  Each 
Other?"  in  the  "American  Law  Review;" 
"The  Suspension  of  the  Writ  of  Habeas 
Corpus  in  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,"  in 
the  "Political  Science  Quarterly;"  "The 
Railroad  Leases  to  Control  the  Anthra- 
cite Coal  Trade,"  in  the  "American  Law 
Register;"  "The  Administration  of 
Equity  Through  Common  Law  Forms  in 
Pennsylvania,"  in  the  "London  Law 
Quarterly  Review,"  afterwards  repub- 
lished in  the  second  volume  of  "Select 
Essa3's  in  Anglo-American  Legal  His- 
tory." compiled  and  edited  by  the  Asso- 
ciation of  American  Law  Schools. 

The  law  could  not  confine  him,  how- 
ever, and  to  the  public  at  large  he  is 
known  less  as  the  lawyer  than  as  the 
political  economist  and  the  historian. 
While  yet  a  student  he  commenced  his 
work  as  a  political  essayist ;  attacked 
with  vigor  in  the  columns  of  the  "New 
York  Nation,"  under  the  signature  of  F. 
G.  S.,  the  spoils  system  as  then  practiced, 
and  suggested  the  formation  of  the  civil 
service  reform  associations,  which  were 
almost  immediately  organized  and  have 
accomplished  such  excellent  results  in 
obtaining  legislation  against  the  spoils 
system  and  in  favor  of  merit  as  a  tenure 
of  public  office.  This  sort  of  work  in 
the  field  of  political  science,  begun  and 
long  prosecuted  by  the  father,  has  been 
continued  by  the  son — first,  perhaps,  as 
a  natural  inheritance,  but  later  from  a 
genuine  love  of  his  brother  and  a  desire 
to  help  all  reform  measures  that  tend  to 
the  public  good.    Some  of  his  best  articles 

965 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


are:  "Alien  Degradation  of  American 
Character,"  and  "Has  Immigration  Dried 
Up  Our  Literature?"  in  "The  Forum;" 
and  "Has  Immigration  Increased  Popu- 
lation?" in  the  "Popular  Science  Month- 
ly." These  proved  an  important  incen- 
tive to  the  formation  of  the  Immigration 
Restriction  League.  Other  articles  ap- 
peared in  rapid  succession,  including 
"The  Causes  of  the  Increase  of  Divorce," 
later  rewrritten  and  amplified ;  also  a 
pamphlet  of  very  wide  circulation  called 
"The  American  Revolution  and  the  Boer 
War." 

He  is  the  author  of  a  number  of  books : 
"The  Making  of  Pennsylvania;"  "Penn- 
sylvania Colony  and  Commonwealth ;" 
"The  Evolution  of  the  Constitution ;" 
"Men,  Women  and  Manners  of  Colonial 
Times;"  "The  True  Benjamin  Franklin;" 
"The  True  William  Penn ;"  "The  Life  of 
Daniel  Webster."  Among  his  more  re- 
cent books  attracting  wide  attention  and 
circulation,  are:  "The  True  History  of 
the  American  Revolution,"  and  "The 
Struggle  for  American  Independence." 
These  last  two  books  brush  the  scales 
from  one's  eyes  and  give  us  the  story  of 
men,  not  demi-gods.  The  latter  book, 
which  is  in  two  volumes,  is  a  fine  piece 
of  bookmaking  on  the  part  of  publisher 
as  well  as  author,  and  a  most  complete 
history  of  the  American  Revolution  from 
the  point  of  view  of  scientific  and  im- 
partial investigation  of  the  original  evi- 
dence by  modern  historical  methods.  Mr. 
Fisher's  recent  pamphlet,  "The  Legend- 
ary and  Myth-Making  Process  in  His- 
tories of  the  American  Revolution,"  read 
before  the  American  Philosophical  Soci- 
ety in  1912,  points  out  some  of  the  mis- 
leading methods  by  which  the  history  of 
that  period  has  been  written,  and  leads 
to  the  hope  that  many  more  histories  of 
men  of  that  period  will  appear  from  the 
pen  of  Mr..  Fisher. 

His  interest  in  his  alma  mater  has  not 


diminished  with  the  years  since  leaving 
her  halls.  He  is  a  trustee  of  Trinity  Col- 
lege, and  its  warm  friend.  He  is  also 
interested  in  schools  for  the  blind,  and 
serves  on  the  board  of  trustees  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Institution  for  the  Instruc- 
tion of  the  Blind.  As  one  of  the  man- 
agers of  the  Old  Philadelphia  Library,  on 
Locust  street,  which  was  founded  by 
Benjamin  Franklin,  he  has  amply  proven 
the  worth  of  his  services. 

Active,  busy,  and  useful  as  he  is,  Mr. 
Fisher  believes  in  recreation  and  sport. 
His  pleasures  extend  from  fine  old  en- 
gravings to  golf,  farming  and  pointer 
dogs.  He  has  always  been  fond  of  using 
tools,  particularly  in  boat  building,  and 
in  his  leisure  hours  has  constructed  a 
number  of  boats  in  his  well  equipped  and 
interesting  amateur  shop  at  Essington, 
his  home.  He  is  an  active  member  of 
the  Corinthian  Yacht  Club  at  that  place, 
and  can  usually  be  found  there  on  Sat- 
urdays and  Sundays.  He  is  very  fond  of 
reading  about  natural  history,  biological 
science  and  geology.  He  has  always 
taken  a  leading  part  in  urging  the  im- 
portance of  game  preservation,  and  has 
written  a  number  of  articles  on  that  sub- 
ject. He  is  a  most  enthusiastic  conser- 
vationist, and  believes  that  the  time  has 
come  for  the  enforcing  of  very  strenuous 
measures  to  protect  our  forests,  birds, 
and  all  natural  resources. 

The  wild  parts  of  Florida  have  always 
had  a  strong  attraction  for  Mr.  Fisher, 
and  he  has  cruised  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico 
and  made  numerous  explorations  in  the 
interior  of  Florida  for  sport  and  nature 
study,  usually  in  company  of  his  cousin, 
Mr.  William  M.  Meigs,  and  has  traveled 
extensively  through  nearly  all  the  South- 
ern States,  particularly  the  regions  where 
quail  shooting  can  be  enjoyed.  His 
articles  upon  the  negro  problem,  and 
upon  scenes  and  episodes  of  southern 
life,  have  been  widely  read.  He  has  also 
966 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF   BIOGRAPHY 


written  articles  for  "Forest  and  Stream," 
as,  for  example,  "Two  Weeks  with  the 
Louisiana  French ;"  and  a  notable  article 
in  "The  American  Field,"  entitled  "Have 
Field  Trials  Improved  the  Setter?"  and 
another  in  "The  London  Field,"  called 
"Practical  Tests  for  Shotguns." 

In  religious  faith,  Mr.  Fisher  is  an 
Episcopalian,  but  is  inclined  to  regard 
such  subjects  in  the  rationalistic  way  of 
the  Quaker  stock,  from  which  he  is  de- 
scended on  his  father's  side.  In  addition 
to  the  Corinthian  Yacht  Club,  Mr.  Fisher 
is  a  member  of  the  University  Club  and 
the  Franklin  Inn  Club  of  Philadelphia, 
and  the  Spring  Haven  Country  Club 
in  Delaware  county.  He  frequently 
spends  part  of  the  summer  at  the  old 
Broadwater  Club  on  the  coast  of  Vir- 
ginia, and  is  very  familiar  with  the  sail- 
ing, fishing  and  sporting  facilities  of 
those  channels  and  islands.  He  is  very 
fond  of  Delaware  county,  and  says  that 
he  never  felt  at  home  until  he  came  there 
to  live  almost  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago. 
He  likes  to  take  walks  in  all  parts  of  the 
county,  visiting  dairy  and  grain  farms 
and  talking  to  the  farmers.  The  fox 
hunting,  the  numerous  packs  of  hounds, 
some  of  them  kept  by  the  old  fashioned 
farmers,  and  the  pretty  scenes  when  the 
hounds  and  the  mounted  keepers  are  out 
exercising  as  well  as  hunting,  give  a 
character  and  interest  which  it  would  be 
hard  to  equal,  he  says,  in  any  other  part 
of  America.  His  favorite  district  is  along 
the  valley  of  Ridley  Creek,  which  he 
considers  on  the  whole  the  choice  of  the 
county's  four  beautiful  streams,  Darby. 
Crum,  Ridley  and  Chester. 

The  Delaware  river,  on  which  he  has 
lived  so  long,  is  to  him  also  a  very  im- 
portant part  of  the  county.  He  has  al- 
ways found  it  difficult  to  keep  away  from 
the  water  and  boats.  He  went  to  live  on 
the  Delaware  at  Essington,  many  years 
ago,  because  he  found  himself  so  strongly 


attracted  by  the  boats,  yachting,  and 
Scandinavian  sailors,  that  he  visited  it 
every  Saturday  afternoon,  Sundays  and 
holidays.  It  was  more  convenient  to  live 
at  the  place  one  was  perfectly  willing  to 
stay  in  on  Sundays  and  holidays.  Re- 
turning to  it  from  his  city  work  every 
evening,  he  found  a  more  restful  and 
wholesome  change  than  he  could  find  in 
any  other  of  Philadelphia's  suburbs.  Con- 
tinual city  life  does  not  at  all  suit  him. 
Most  of  his  congenial  acquaintances  and 
friends  belong  to  the  Corinthian  Yacht 
Club  at  Essington.  and  he  is  at  his  best 
among  these  companions.  Yachting 
draws  together  positive  interesting  char- 
acters from  every  walk  of  life ;  and  there 
is  a  democratic  comradeship  in  such  pur- 
suits that  has  a  strong  appeal  for  broad- 
minded  nature.  The  club  at  Essington, 
founded  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago  by 
some  of  Philadelphia's  ablest  men  of 
wealth  and  business,  who  required  recre- 
ation in  the  great  out-of-doors,  has  al- 
ways been  an  intellectual  centre  not  only 
in  its  members  but  in  the  visitors  and 
guests  that  are  drawn  to  it  from  other 
parts  of  the  country.  Explorers,  trav- 
ellers, sportsmen  and  experts  in  all  sorts 
of  occupations  often  meet  there  in  easy 
informal  intercourse ;  and  the  free  ad- 
mission of  their  wives  and  families  adds 
greatly  to  everyone's  enjoyment. 

Mr.  Fisher  has  explored  the  Delaware 
river,  studied  its  tides,  shoals,  islands  and 
geology,  and  wrote  a  long  article  on  it 
in  the  "Philadelphia  Sunday  Ledger,"  of 
October  20,  1912,  which  was  afterwards 
enlarged  and  reprinted.  He  has  been 
connected  with  several  of  the  contro- 
versies of  riparian  owners  against  the 
interests  that  narrow  the  river  and  shoal 
small  harbors.  He  advocates  deepening 
the  Delaware  by  dredging  rather  than  by 
dikes  that  act  as  partial  dams  to  the 
flood  tide.  The  varied  richness,  vegeta- 
tion and  bird  life  along  the  shoals  and 
967 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


islands  of  the  Delaware,  and  in  the 
meadows  and  marshes  that  spread  out 
like  lakes  at  high  tide  with  their  vast 
crops  of  graceful  reeds  and  red  and  yel- 
low flowers  are,  he  often  says,  far  more 
attractive  to  the  naturalist  and  real 
nature  lover  than  panoramic  tourist 
rivers  like  the  Hudson.  Equally  fasci- 
nating are  the  remains  and  records  of  the 
Delaware's  long  geologic  history  in  the 
days  of  glaciers,  ice  floes  and  mighty 
floods,  when  they  rolled  down  to  the 
ocean  the  sand  and  mud  that  went  to 
build  New  Jersey  and  Delaware. 


DIFFENDERFFER,  Frank  Reid, 

Journalist   and   Historian. 

Frank  Reid  Diffenderffer  was  born  in 
the  village  of  New  Holland,  Lancaster 
county,  Pennsylvania,  on  April  30,  1833. 
He  is  descended  from  that  hardy  Ger- 
man stock  which  has  given  Pennsylvania 
her  great  prominence  in  the  sisterhood 
of  States.  The  immigrant  from  whom 
he  claims  descent  was  John  Michael  Dii- 
bendorf,  who  reached  Pennsylvania  on 
September  18,  1727,  from  his  home  near 
Heidelberg,  in  the  Palatinate.  There  is 
an  ancient  town  named  Diibendorf,  six 
miles  northeast  of  the  city  of  Zurich, 
Switzerland,  which  was  undoubtedly  the 
ancient  home  of  the  family.  In  the 
"Swiss  Geographical  Lexicon,"  175-2. 
there  is  a  voluminous  account  of  that 
ancient  town  going  back  to  1195,  in 
which  one  Werner  von  Diebendorf  and 
also  Cuno  von  Diebendorf,  Knight,  are 
named  as  witnesses  to  important  public 
documents.  In  1690  the  public  records 
of  this  town  were  destroyed  by  fire,  thus 
ending  all  further  research  into  the  early 
family  history. 

Mr.  Diffenderffer  is  in  the  fifth  genera- 
tion of  descent  from  the  original  immi- 
grant, the  line  being  as  follows:  John 
Michael,  born  January  10,  1695 ;  Michael, 


son  of  the  foregoing,  born  November  14, 
1721,  who  came  to  Lancaster  in  1765, 
built  that  well  known  hostelry,  the 
"Leopard,"  on  East  King  street;  became 
a  commissioner  of  Lancaster  county 
from  1770  until  1772;  took  the  oath  of 
allegiance  in  July,  1777;  was  a  burgess 
of  the  town  in  1778-79,  1780-81-82  and 
83 ;  bought  the  estate  of  the  so-called 
"Baron"  Henry  William  Steigel,  at  Man- 
heim,  in  1779;  his  son  David,  who  was 
born  February  9,  1752,  was  an  officer  in 
the  famous  German  regiment  during  the 
Revolution,  and  who  is  the  subject  of  a 
lengthy  biographical  sketch  in  Rupp's 
"History  of  Lancaster  County;"  his  war 
record  including,  the  Hessian  surprise  at 
Trenton,  battle  of  Monmouth,  Sullivan's 
expedition  against  the  Six  Nations,  and 
Valley  Forge ;  his  son  Michael,  born  Au- 
gust 4.  1783,  was  the  father  of  the  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch. 

Mr.  Diffenderffer  remained  in  the  place 
of  his  birth,  a  farmer's  son,  until  the  age 
of  seventeen,  attending  the  public  schools 
of  the  place  and  then  entering  the  pre- 
paratory department  of  Marshall  College 
at  Mercersburg,  Pennsylvania.  In  1850 
he  came  to  the  city  of  Lancaster,  becom- 
ing a  clerk  in  the  book  store  of  W.  H. 
Spangler,  at  what  is  now  No.  66  North 
Queen  street.  The  seven  years'  experi- 
ence in  that  establishment  went  far  in 
bringing  about  his  later  literary  career. 

In  1857  he  went  to  Mexico,  to  the  then 
City  of  El  Paso  (now  Jaures),  where  his 
two  brothers  were  engaged  in  merchan- 
dizing and  government  contracting,  the 
firm  name  being  F.  R.  Diffenderffer  &  Co. 
At  that  time  what  is  now  the  city  of  El 
Paso,  Texas  (then  called  Franklin),  had 
a  population  of  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  persons,  of  whom  only  about  fifteen 
were  Americans,  the  entire  populntion 
housed  in  one-story  adobe  houses  and 
jacals.  In  those  days  railroads  at  that 
point  were  little  else  than  dreams.  All 
968 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  goods  sold  by  the  firm  were  bought 
in  New  York,  shipped  by  sea  to  Port 
Lavaca,  Texas,  and  from  thence  freight- 
ed overland  by  mule  teams  to  El  Paso,  a 
distance  of  about  eight  hundred  miles. 
In  some  years  the  freight  was  sent  by 
rail  to  St.  Louis,  thence  up  the  Missouri 
river  to  Fort  Leavenworth,  and  from 
there  by  mule  train  to  Santa  Fe  and  the 
Rio  Grand  to  El  Paso,  a  distance  of  over 
one  thousand  miles.  The  last  trip  over 
this  route  was  made  in  1865,  when  Mr. 
DiflFenderfifer  left  Lancaster  on  May  16, 
and  reached  El  Paso  on  October  26,  hav- 
ing been  on  the  road  traveling  or  trying 
to  travel  five  months  and  ten  days.  The 
long  delay  was  caused  by  rainy  weather 
and  bad  roads.  One  entire  month  was 
passed  in  a  single  camp  on  a  slight  eleva- 
tion of  the  prairie,  the  rain  falling  every 
day  or  night,  preventing  all  travel. 

In  1871  Mr.  Diflfenderflfer  returned  to 
Lancaster,  where,  in  conjunction  with 
his  brothers,  the  banking  firm  of  Dif- 
fenderffer  Brothers  was  established.  The 
panic  of  1873  came  along  and  hard  times 
with  it,  and  the  firm  closed  its  business. 
During  the  following  few  years  Mr.  Dif- 
fenderflfer  was  engaged  in  tobacco  pack- 
ing, and  in  assisting  Mr.  J.  J.  Sprenger 
in  the  publication  of  the  "Morning  Re- 
view" newspaper. 

When  "The  New  Era"  newspaper  was 
established  in  Lancaster  by  Messrs.  War- 
fel  and  Geist,  in  1877,  he  was  invited  by 
his  old-time  friend,  Mr.  Geist,  to  assume 
the  position  of  associate  editor,  a  posi- 
tion he  held  continuously  for  a  period 
of  many  years.  During  that  long  time, 
never  a  discordant  word  passed  between 
the  two  men,  and  the  closest  friendship 
existed  until  Mr.  Geist's  death. 

Although  Mr.  Diflfenderffer  had  for 
years  been  a  contributor  to  the  Lancas- 
ter press,  his  active  literary  career  dates 
from  his  connection  with  the  "New  Era." 
In  addition  to  his  purely  editorial  work, 


he  also  contributed  largely  to  the  local 
columns,  especially  on  agricultural  topics. 
.'Kt  that  time  the  tobacco  interest  became 
an  important  factor  in  the  farms  of  the 
county,  and  Mr.  Diffenderfifer,  having 
had  experience  in  that  line,  established  a 
tobacco  department  in  the  paper,  giving 
the  subject  much  study  and  time,  so  that 
in  a  few  years  the  "New  Era"  became  an 
authority  on  the  subject  of  tobacco  grow- 
ing and  tobacco  statistics.  He  was  for 
many  years  the  Lancaster  correspondent 
of  the  "U.  .S.  Tobacco  Journal,"  also  of 
the  "Tobacco  Leaf,"  Bradstreet's  "Louis- 
ville Tobacco  Journal,"  and  was  the  first 
editor  of  the  "Lancaster  Tobacco  Jour- 
nal," founded  in  1S91.  He  wrote  several 
lengfthy  articles  on  tobacco  growing  for 
the  State  Agricultural  Department,  one 
of  which  was  published  in  pamphlet  form 
for  general  circulation.  He  prepared  the 
voluminous  article  on  "Tobacco  Grow- 
ing in  Pennsylvania"  for  the  United 
States  Census  Report  of  1880;  although 
the  contract  price  was  only  fifty  dollars, 
the  Census  Department  sent  him  a  check 
for  one  hundred  and  twenty  dollars.  Mr. 
Dififenderflfer  was  one  of  a  delegation 
sent  to  Washington  to  secure  a  heavy 
duty  on  .Sumatran  tobacco,  and  succeed- 
ed in  having  the  duty  fixed  to  two  dol- 
lars per  pound.  He  also  contributed 
lengthy  articles  on  tobacco  culture  to 
Ellis  &  Evans'  "History  of  Lancaster 
County,"  to  Hensel's  "History  of  Lan- 
caster County,"  "Forney's  Press,"  and 
other  publications. 

Prior  to  his  connection  with  the  "New 
Era,"  Mr.  Diflfenderflfer  had  become  an 
earnest  student  of  Pennsylvania  history 
and  especially  local  history,  contributing 
articles  to  various  publications,  such  as 
the  "Reformed  Church  Review,"  "The 
Lancaster  Farmer,"  and  "Christian  Cul- 
ture," and  a  notable  one  on  the  Juliana 
Library,  which  for  the  first  time  made 
known    the   history    of  that    interesting 

969 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


literary  venture,  and  to  which  no  addi- 
tions have  since  been  made. 

The  first  of  his  more  important  con- 
tributions to  local  history  was  his  "His- 
tory of  the  Three  Earls"  (townships  in 
Lancaster  county).  It  met  with  a  full 
measure  of  success  and  was  later  bodily 
incorporated  with  that  valuable  work. 
Ellis  &  Evans'  "History  of  Lancaster 
County."  Another  volume  by  him  ap- 
peared in  1897;  it  was  "The  German 
Exodus  to  England"  in  1709,  a  work  of 
much  research  on  a  then  little  known  but 
important  subject.  It  was  a  literary  suc- 
cess, and  copies  are  now  rare.  It  was 
followed  in  igoo  by  "The  German  Immi- 
gration into  Pennsylvania"  through  the 
port  of  Philadelphia  from  1700  to  1775. 
Both  the  foregoing  are  stately  octavos 
with  many  illustrations,  maps,  and  rare 
documents  They  have  long  been  out  of 
print.  The  "Redemptioners"  quickly  fol- 
lowed, and  it  also  was  quickly  absorbed 
by  the  general  public  and  librarians.  In 
loic)  appeared  his  "History  of  the  Farm- 
ers" Trust  Company  of  Lancaster,"  a 
goodly  octavo  with  numerous  illustra- 
tions. 

In  1890  Mr.  DiflFenderffer  began  a 
movement  for  the  formation  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania German  Society.  He  first  ad- 
vocated the  project  in  the  columns  of 
the  "New  Era,"  and  later  invited  a  num- 
ber of  representative  Pennsylvanians  of 
German  descent  to  a  conference  in  his 
ofTice  in  Feb'-uary,  1891.  The  society 
then  and  there  had  its  birth.  It  to-day 
has  a  membership  of  five  hundred.  Its 
literary  and  historical  activities  may  be 
seen  in  the  twenty-two  splendid  volumes 
it  has  given  to  the  world  and  which  in 
variety  and  original  research  are  perhaps 
not  equalled  by  the  publications  of  any 
similar  organization  in  the  country.  He 
was  chosen  secretary  of  the  society  and 
held  that  position  three  years,  editing  the 
first    three   volumes    of    its    proceedings. 


then  resigning  to  become  president  of 
the  society,  in  1896. 

In  1903  Governor  Pennypacker,  a  warm 
personal  friend,  upon  the  passage  by  the 
Legislature  of  the  act  creating  the  "Ad- 
visory Committee  for  the  Preservation 
of  the  Public  Records,"  appointed  him  as 
a  member  of  the  committee.  He  has  re- 
tained the  position  continuously  through 
the  administration  of  Governors  Penny- 
packer,  Stuart  and  Tener. 

He  has  for  many  years  been  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Pennsylvania  Historical  Soci- 
ety, and  in  1901,  at  the  invitation  of 
Provost  Stille,  of  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania, who  at  that  time  was  also  presi- 
dent of  the  State  Historical  Society,  read 
a  lengthy  paper  before  that  body  on  "The 
Palatine  and  Quaker  as  Commonwealth 
F)uilders."  which  was  later  published  in 
book  form  and  is  now  so  scarce  that  the 
author  himself  has  no  copy. 

He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
"Pennsylvania  Federation  of  Historical 
Societies."  and  its  president  in  1910-11. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  "Pennsylvania 
History  Club,"  and  in  volume  one  of  the 
publications  of  that  organization  a  list 
of  about  forty  separate  articles  and  books 
written  by  him,  mostly  on  historical  sub- 
jects, is  enumerated.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  "American  Flistorical  Federation," 
and  of  the  "Lancaster  Zweig-Verein  of 
the  Deutch  Amerikanischer  Central  Bund 
von  Pennsylvania."  He  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  "Lancaster  Press  Club,"  and 
was  for  a  period  of  fourteen  years  the 
acting  secretary  of  the  Lancaster  County 
Horticultural  Society,  and  wrote  and 
published  a  history  of  that  organization. 
He  was  also  the  first  and  only  secretary 
of  the  short-lived  Lancaster  County  For- 
estry Association. 

Much    of    Mr.    DilTenderfTer's    literary 

activities  have  been  connected  with  the 

Lancaster  County  Historical  Society,  of 

which  he  was  one  of  the  founders  and  its 

970 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF   BIOGRAPHY 


first  secretary  for  a  period  of  seven  years, 
when  he  resigned  to  become  its  first  vice- 
president,  a  position  he  still  holds.  In 
connection  w^ith  this  organization  his  his- 
torical instincts  were  most  fully  display- 
ed. Perhaps  as  many  as  two-score  articles 
have  appeared  in  its  eighteen  volumes  of 
"Papers  and  Proceedings."  An  ardent 
Pennsylvanian,  a  lover  of  his  home  coun- 
ty and  her  people,  his  admiration  of  their 
sturdy  character  and  industrial  energy, 
he  has  in  these  numerous  contributions 
paid  a  loving  tribute  to  the  race  from 
which  he  sprung  and  of  which  he  is  so 
proud.  A  mention  of  a  few  of  his  contri- 
butions to  his  home  county  Historical 
Society,  will  serve  to  show  the  trend  of 
his  studies  in  local  history:  "The  First 
White  Man  in  Lancaster  County  and  in 
Pennsylvania ;"  "The  Early  German 
Printers  of  Lancaster  County;"  "Plea  for 
the  Conestoga  River;"  "Bibliography  of 
the  Newspapers  of  Lancaster  City  and 
County ;"  "The  Loyalists  of  Lancaster 
County;"  "Date  Stones  with  Examples;" 
^'Indian  Traders'  Troubles ;"  "How  the 
New  Holland  School  House  Was  Built ;" 
"The  Story  of  a  Picture  (of  Lancaster)  ;" 
"The  Play  Bills  and  Theatres  of  Early 
Lancaster." 

He  was  an  early  member  of  Conestoga 
Council  of  the  Royal  Arcanum,  and  is  a 
past  regent  of  the  order ;  also  a  member 
of  Washington  Encampment,  Independ- 
ent Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  A. 
Herr  Smith  Free  Library,  and  chairman 
of  the  library  committee.  From  having 
been  a  book-seller  for  six  years  when 
comparatively  a  young  man,  he  has  nat- 
urally a  wide  acquaintance  with  books, 
inside  as  well  as  outside,  and  has  conse- 
quently taken  a  lively  interest  in  the 
local  library.  As  a  further  evidence  of 
his  interest  in  books  and  historical  stud- 
ies, it  may  be  mentioned  that  he  estab- 
lished and  endowed  an  alcove  in  the  De 


Peyster  Library  connected  with  Frank- 
lin and  Marshall  College,  devoted  to 
Pennsylvania  history  and  biography, 
starting  the  same  with  about  eight  hun- 
dred bound  volumes  and  pamphlets,  se- 
lected from  his  own  library.  This  gift 
was  to  some  extent  in  grateful  recogni- 
tion of  his  affection  for  his  old  college, 
which  in  1903  conferred  upon  him  the 
honorary  degree  of  Litt.  D. 

With  something  of  a  distaste  for  poli- 
tics, he  has  nevertheless  been  an  ardent 
partisan,  and  when  the  periodic  political 
contests  came  along,  he  struck  out  with 
all  his  might  in  the  columns  of  the  "New 
Era"  for  his  party — the  Republican.  He 
has  been  a  member  of  that  party  from 
its  organization  in  1856.  Although  com- 
paratively a  stripling  at  that  time,  he 
was  elected  secretary  of  the  Fremont 
Club  of  Lancaster  City.  He  moved  into 
the  Sixth  Ward  of  Lancaster  in  1873,  at 
which  time  the  ward  was  strongly  Dem- 
ocratic, and  in  1881  was  a  candidate  for 
common  councilman.  To  his  own  sur- 
prise and  that  of  his  party,  he  was  elected 
— the  only  candidate  of  his  party  that 
pulled  through. 

For  clubs  and  similar  organizations  he 
cares  little.  He  is,  however,  a  member  of 
the  Press  Club  of  Lancaster,  in  which  he 
takes  a  lively  interest.  He  is  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Pennsylvania  Society,  Sons  of 
the  Revolution.  Being  of  unadulterated 
German  ancestry  on  both  the  paternal 
and  maternal  sides  since  the  advent  of 
his  family  in  America  one  hundred  and 
eighty-eight  years  ago,  he  has  naturally 
a  warm  feeling  for  the  descendants  of 
bold-hearted  yeomanry  who  began  com- 
ing into  the  province  of  Pennsylvania  as 
early  as  1683.  and  who  have  done  so 
much  to  make  our  State  the  grandest  of 
the  entire  Sisterhood.  He  has  been  a 
bold  defender  of  their  sterling  virtues, 
and  in  his  earliest  book,  "The  Three 
Earls,"  first  sounded  the  bugle  blast  in 
971 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


their  praise  and  defense,  a  step  which 
has  since  been  followed  by  many  other 
writers  and  historians.  Nothing  more 
quickly  arouses  his  ire  than  aspersions 
on  and  flippant  allusions  to  the  German 
element  in  our  population.  At  the  same 
time  he  has  little  use  for  the  hyphenated 
German  Americans. 

Mr.  Diffenderflfer  was  married,  in  1873, 
to  Miss  Annie  Sarah  Sprenger.  The  one 
offspring  of  that  marriage  is  Harold  F. 
DifTenderilfer,  born  December  22,  1877. 


FILBERT,  John  H., 

ILawyer,  Historical   Anthority,  Anthor. 

John  Harry  Filbert,  a  well  known  at- 
torney of  the  Schuylkill  county  bar,  is 
descended  of  a  long  line  of  ancestors 
whose  beginning  dates  far  back  into  an- 
tiquity. The  family  name,  Filbert,  is 
itself  evidence  of  this  fact.  Filbert  is 
one  of  the  oldest  names  in  the  Teutonic 
language,  being  derived  from  "fiel- 
brecht,"  which  means  very  bright  or  illus- 
trious. This  appellation  was  borne  by 
many  of  the  old  Teutonic  chieftains, 
whose  descendants  carried  it  into  all  the 
countries  of  Eastern  Europe  in  their 
early  conquests.  The  earlier  spelling  of 
the  name  was  "Philbert"  and  "Philibert." 
In  England  it  exists  both  in  the  form  of 
Philbert  and  Filbert ;  Philibert,  Prince  of 
Orange,  was  one  of  the  generals  of 
Charles  V.  and  fell  in  the  Italian  cam- 
paign of  1529.  There  were  several 
counts  of  the  name  who  ruled  over  Savoy 
in  the  twelfth  century,  and  the  descend- 
ants of  Emmanuel  Philibert  of  Savoy  be- 
came kings  of  Sardinia  and  later  the 
reigning  family  of  Italy. 

(I)  The  American  branch  of  the  fam- 
ily traces  its  ancestry  to  the  great-great- 
great-grandfather  of  Mr.  Filbert,  John 
Samuel  Filbert,  who  was  born  in  Wurt- 
emberg,  January  8,  1710,  and  who  with 
his  wife  Susanna  came  to  the  New  World 


on  the  ship  "Samuel,"  Hugh  Percy,  mas- 
ter, sailing  from  Rotterdam,  and  took 
the  oath  of  allegiance  to  the  crown  of 
Great  Britain  and  the  Province  of  Penn- 
sylvania at  Philadelphia,  August  30, 
^IZ"?-  l^c  spelled  the  name  "Filbert,"  but 
the  Rev.  John  Casper  Stover,  who  kept 
the  baptismal  records  of  the  family, 
spelled  it  "Philbert."  The  children  of 
John  Samuel  Filbert  were :  John  Thomas 
(1737-1784),  married  to  Catherine  Bat- 
teiger;  Maria  Catrina,  born  1739,  mar- 
ried John  Heinrich  Ache ;  Anna  Eliza- 
beth, born  1741,  married  to  John  Henry 
Webber,  a  captain  in  the  Revolutionary 
War;  John  Phillip  (1743-1817)  ;  John 
Peter,  born  1746,  who  was  a  delegate 
from  the  First  Battalion  of  Berks  Coun- 
ty Militia  to  the  convention  held  in  Lan- 
caster, July  4,  1776,  to  elect  three  briga- 
dier-generals for  the  Pennsylvania  and 
Delaware  militia,  and  who  was  elected 
sheriflf  of  Berks  county  in  1785;  and 
Maria  Christina,  born  1749,  married  to 
Jost  Ruth. 

As  the  father  and  three  sons  had  the 
first  name  "John"  in  common,  they  drop- 
ped it  in  active  life  and  the  only  places 
it  can  be  found  are  on  their  baptismal 
records  and  tombstones. 

Samuel  Filbert  and  his  wife  Susanna 
settled  immediately  on  coming  to  the 
country  in  Bern  township,  Lancaster 
(now  Berks)  county,  Pennsylvania,  at 
the  present  site  of  Bernville.  Samuel 
Filbert  and  Godfried  Fidler  each  gave  an 
acre  of  ground  to  the  North  Kill  Lu- 
theran Church  at  Bernville.  A  log  church 
was  built  in  1743  on  the  part  donated  by 
Samuel  Filbert ;  tradition  says  that  he 
paid  half  of  the  cost  of  the  building, 
which  was  used  as  a  church  on  the  Sab- 
bath and  as  a  school  on  week  days.  In 
1791  the  log  church  was  replaced  by  a 
brick  building,  at  which  time  his  son 
Philip  acted  as  president  of  the  building 
committee.  In  1897  the  present  hand- 
972 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


some  brown  stone  edifice  was  erected  on 
the  same  ground.  Back  of  the  chancel  in 
the  new  building  is  a  beautiful  stained 
glass  window  dedicated  to  "Samuel  Fil- 
bert, Founder,  1743."  He  died  Septem- 
ber 25,  1786,  and  is  buried  in  the  center 
of  the  old  church  yard. 

(H)  John  Phillip,  son  of  Samuel  and 
Susanna  Filbert,  was  born  December  7, 
1743.  He  was  commissioned  as  a  captain 
of  the  Eighth  Company  of  the  Sixth  Bat- 
talion of  Berks  County  Militia,  June  14, 
1777,  and  was  recommissioned  in  1780, 
1783  and  1786,  so  that  he  served  as  an 
officer  of  the  Pennsylvania  militia  during 
the  whole  period  of  the  Revolution.  Cap- 
tain Phillip  Filbert's  battalion  was  mus- 
tered into  the  Continental  service  on  De- 
cember 13.  1777,  for  sixty  days,  and  was 
engaged  under  General  Washington  in 
the  Schuylkill  Valley,  between  Valley 
Forge  and  Germantown.  He  was  mar- 
ried to  Anna  Maria  Meyers,  and  had 
three  children:  Samuel,  mentioned  be- 
low ;  John,  married  to  Anna  Maria  Leiss ; 
and  Catherine,  married  to  William  Ma- 
chimer.  He  died  August  20,  1817,  and  is 
buried  at  Bernville. 

(HI)  Samuel  Filbert  (about  1770- 
1795),  eldest  son  of  Phillip  and  Anna 
Maria,  married  Sibylla,  daughter  of 
Francis  Umbenhaur,  a  captain  in  the 
Revolutionary  War ;  he  left  two  sons — 
Joseph,  who  died  in  1804,  and  Peter. 

(IV)  Peter,  son  of  Samuel  and  Sibylla 
Filbert,  was  born  at  Bernville,  Berks 
county,  in  1794.  His  father  died  when 
he  was  about  six  months  old,  leaving  his 
two  sons  to  the  guardianship  of  their 
grandfathers,  Phillip  Filbert  and  Francis 
Umbenhaur.  In  1814  he  enlisted  with 
the  troops  called  out  for  the  defense  of 
Baltimore  against  the  British  army,  and 
marched  under  Captain  Smith  to  Spring- 
field camp,  near  that  city,  and  after  the 
retreat  of  the  British  was  honorably  dis- 
charged from  service.     He  married  Eliz- 


abeth, daughter  of  John  Stoudt,  in  1818, 
and  the  next  year  removed  to  Pine  Grove, 
Schuylkill  county,  Pennsylvania,  to  take 
charge  of  the  Pine  (jrove  J'orge.  Peter 
and  Elizabeth  Filbert  had  the  following 
children :  Samuel  P.,  iparried  to  Lavina 
Lamm ;  Edward  T.,  married  to  Mary 
Clayton ;  Peter  A.,  who  was  a  major  in 
the  Ninety-sixth  Regiment  Pennsylvania 
Volunteers  in  the  Civil  War,  married  to 
Theodosia  Reitzel;  Leah,  married  to  Dr. 
John  Kitzmiller ;  Rebecca,  married  to  F. 
W.  Conrad,  D.  D. ;  and  John  Q.  A.,  men- 
tioned below.  Mr.  Filbert  was  the  presi- 
dential elector  chosen  to  represent  this 
district  in  the  election  of  1840,  and  cast 
his  vote  for  the  successful  candidate,  Wil- 
liam Henry  Harrison.  He  died  February 
14,  1864. 

(V)  John  Quincy  Adams  Filbert,  son 
of  Peter  and  Elizabeth,  was  born  in  Pine 
Grove,  Schuylkill  county,  February  11, 
1827.  At  the  age  of  sixteen  years  he 
served  on  the  engineer  corps  of  the  late 
Colonel  Benjamin  Aycrigg.  Later  he  re- 
moved to  York,  Pennsylvania,  and  then 
to  Baltimore,  Maryland,  where  he  lived 
when  the  Civil  War  broke  out.  Mr.  Fil- 
bert was  a  staunch  Unionist,  and  was  one 
of  the  men  who  helped  save  Maryland 
for  the  Union.  When  it  was  reported 
that  the  Confederates  were  going  to 
seize  the  city,  he  stood  in  the  trenches 
to  help  guard  it.  All  the  coal  yards  of 
the  city  were  in  the  hands  of  southern 
sympathizers  who  would  not  coal  the 
government  vessels,  and  the  government 
did  not  dare  to  confiscate  them  for  fear 
of  further  inflaming  sentiment.  Mr.  Fil- 
bert, at  the  request  of  the  leaders  of  the 
Union  element  in  the  city,  came  up  to 
Schuylkill  county  and  made  arrangements 
to  procure  coal  for  the  national  vessels. 
He  returned  to  his  native  county  in  1866, 
residing  on  his  farm  below  Schuylkill 
Haven  for  thirty-five  years.  He  was 
married,  April  30,  1856,  to  Mary,  daugh- 
973 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ter  of  Michael  G.  and  Mary  (Herman) 
Beltzhoover,  of  Boiling  Springs,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  had  the  following  chil- 
dren: Benjamin  Aycrigg;  May  E. ; 
Helen  B.,  married  to  Dr.  Gaylord  A. 
Hitch,  of  Laurel,  Delaware :  Charles  B., 
married  to  Florence  Saulsbury,  and  resid- 
ing in  Muskogee,  Oklahoma ;  and  J.  H. 
Filbert,  subject  of  this  sketch.  He  died  at 
Schuylkill  Haven,  December  4,  1910. 

(VI)  John  Harry  Filbert  was  born  in 
the  city  of  Baltimore,  October  ig,  1865. 
When  only  a  few  months  old  his  parents 
removed  to  Schuylkill  county,  where  he 
has  resided  ever  since.  He  is  a  graduate 
of  the  Pottsville  High  School,  and  attend- 
ed Pennsylvania  College,  at  Gettysburg, 
Pennsylvania,  and  Williams  College,  Wil- 
liamstown,  Massachusetts.  He  registered 
as  a  student  at  law  under  the  late  Judge 
David  C.  Henning,  and  was  admitted  to 
practice  law  in  the  courts  of  Schuylkill 
county  on  the  first  day  of  January,  1894 

Mr.  Filbert  takes  a  deep  interest  in 
educational  matters ;  has  been  a  member 
of  the  Midwinter  Educational  Club  of 
Pottsville  for  upwards  of  twenty  years. 
He  was  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the 
Schuylkill  County  Historical  Society,  and 
is  its  first  vice-president,  and  is  one  of 
the  best  read  men  in  the  community  on 
local  historical  matters.  He  resides  in 
Schuylkill  Haven,  Pennsylvania,  and 
maintains  a  law  office  at  Pottsville.  He 
has  filled  many  local  offices  of  honor  and 
trust.  Fraternally  he  is  a  member  of 
Page  Lodge,  No.  207,  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons,  at  Schuylkill  Haven,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Masonic  Grand  Lodge  of  Penn- 
svlvania.    He  has  never  been  married. 


STOCKDALE,  John  M., 

Journalist,  Financier,  Xtegislator. 

John  M.  Stockdale  was  a  loyal  Penn- 
sylvanian ;  he  returned  to  his  native  State 
after  an  absence  of  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 


tury and  gave  her  the  services  of  his  rip- 
est years.  He  was  a  man  whose  rare 
talents  were  ever  consecrated  to  the  ad- 
vancement of  the  best  interests  of  the 
Commonwealth.  Mr.  Stockdale  was  a 
scion  of  that  sturdy  and  courageous  North 
of  Ireland  race  which  has  contributed  so 
largely  to  the  upbuilding  and  develop- 
ment of  the  Keystone  State.  His  grand- 
father, James  Stockdale,  was  a  native  of 
the  North  of  Ireland,  and  in  1787  came 
to  the  United  States,  expecting  to  return 
after  seeing  the  new  country.  Having, 
however,  exhausted  his  funds  in  travel- 
ing he  determined  to  remain  long  enough 
to  earn  money  to  pay  his  passage  home. 
This  delay  changed  the  current  of  his  life 
for  before  the  necessary  amount  was  ac- 
cumulated he  met  Miss  Weir,  who  after- 
ward became  his  bride,  and  he  abandoned 
his  intention  of  recrossing  the  seas  to  his 
native  land.  In  1790  this  young  couple 
established  themselves  in  Washington 
(now  Greene)  county,  Pennsylvania,  and 
to  them  were  born  one  son  (William) 
and  three  daughters.  Mrs.  Stockdale 
died  in  1823,  and  the  father  of  the  fam- 
ily passed  away  in  1840,  at  the  age  of 
eighty-six. 

Their  son,  William  Stockdale,  was 
born  in  1792  on  his  father's  farm,  where, 
with  the  exception  of  a  short  period  of 
service  in  the  War  of  1812,  he  spent  all 
the  seventy-one  tranquil  years  of  his  life, 
and  there  he  died  in  1863.  He  was  mar- 
ried to  Hannah,  daughter  of  John  Mc- 
Quaide,  of  Washington  county ;  she  at- 
tained the  age  of  seventy-six  and  died  in 
1873,  having  survived  her  husband  ten 
years.  Seven  children  were  born  to 
them  :  James  ;  John  M.,  (see  forward)  ; 
Robert ;  Thomas  R. ;  Mary,  and  the  twins, 
Isabella  and  Sarah.  William  Stockdale 
was  a  fairly  prosperous  man  for  his  day 
and  spared  no  pains  to  prepare  his  chil- 
dren to  enter  with  credit  upon  the  duties 
of  life,  sending  them  to  the  neighboring 

974 


/  /    /?>v^^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


schools    and    colleges    of    Waynesburg, 
Washington  and  Canonsburg. 

John  M.  Stockdale,  the  second  son  of 
William  and  Hannah  (McQuaide)  Stock- 
dale,  was  born  August  28,  1822,  on  the 
ancestral  farm  in  Morris  township, 
Greene  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  was 
prepared  for  college  at  the  Carmichael 
Academy,  graduating  in  1849  from  Wash- 
ington College.  Immediately  thereafter 
he  entered  the  law  ofifice  of  the  Hon.  T. 
M.  T.  McKennan,  and  in  1852  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar.  The  following  year  he 
became  owner  and  editor  of  the  "Waynes- 
burg Messenger,"  the  only  Democratic 
newspaper  in  Greene  county.  This  fact 
furnishes  significant  evidence  that  even  at 
that  early  period  in  his  career  Mr.  Stock- 
dale  was — what  he  ever  afterward  re- 
mained— a  steadfast  adherent  to  his  party 
and  a  fearless  champion  of  its  principles. 
The  zeal  and  talents  of  the  youthful 
editor  did  not  long  fail  of  recognition  and 
in  1854  he  was  elected  to  the  State  Legis- 
lature, where  his  record  fully  justified  the 
choice  of  his  constituents.  He  served  two 
terms — having  been  accorded  the  com- 
pliment of  a  reelection — when  failing 
health  forced  him  to  give  up  these  ac- 
tivities, so  he  decided  to  take  a  trip  to  the 
West.  While  in  quest  of  health  and  rec- 
reation in  Iowa  he  formed  extensive  busi- 
ness associations,  circumstances  calling 
into  action  that  talent  for  affairs  which 
was  one  of  his  most  distinctive  charac- 
teristics. He  decided  to  settle  in  Fort 
Dodge,  Iowa,  a  frontier  town  fortified  for 
protection  against  the  Indians,  and  in 
1^57'  by  appointment  of  President  Buch- 
anan, he  became  register  of  the  govern- 
ment land  office  at  that  place.  The  year 
1857  was  an  eventful  one  in  his  early 
life.  On  April  22d  he  was  married  to 
Pattie  Clark,  one  of  the  eight  children 
of  Abner  and  Patty  (Evans)  Clark,  of 
Ten  Mile  Valley,  Pennsylvania.  She  was 
born  June  22,  1833,  on  the  farm  "Pleas- 


ant Hill,"  which  was  also  the  birthplace 
of  her  mother  and  her  grandfather  and 
which  had  been  "taken  up"  as  govern- 
ment land  by  her  great-great-grandfather, 
Colonel  Daniel  McFarland,  of  Revolu- 
tionary fame,  and  which  has  ever  since 
been  in  the  possession  of  his  descend- 
ants. The  family  was  prominent  in  the 
county  and  this  home  filled  with  these 
brothers  and  sisters  was  a  center  where 
was  dispensed  a  large,  hearty  and  whole- 
some hospitality.  She  attended  Washing- 
ton Seminary  and  graduated  from  that 
institution  in  185 1.  Mr.  Stockdaie  look 
his  bride  to  his  new  home  in  the  then  rar 
west  "where  as  also  in  their  later  places 
of  residence,  her  beauty,  her  rare  charm 
of  manner,  her  ready  wit  which  left  no 
sting,  her  gracious  Christian  character 
won  her  a  place  in  the  hearts  of  an  ever 
widening  circle  of  friends."  Mrs.  Stock- 
dale  survived  her  husband  seven  years 
and  on  May  28,  1904,  died  in  their  home 
on  East  Wheeling  street,  Washington, 
Pennsylvania,  where  their  only  child. 
Miss  Elizabeth  C.  Stockdale,  is  now  liv- 
ing. In  memory  of  her  mother  this 
daughter  erected  in  1907  at  Colcord, 
Raleigh  county.  West  Virginia,  the  Pat- 
tie  C.  Stockdale  School  for  mountain 
girls.  This  is  operated  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Woman's  Board  of  Llome  Mis- 
sions of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

In  1863,  while  Mr.  Stockdale  was  still 
a  resident  of  Fort  Dodge,  he  was  nomi- 
nated for  the  State  Senate  of  Iowa,  but 
declined  the  honor,  consenting,  however, 
in  1864  to  serve  as  an  elector  on  the  Mc- 
Clelland ticket.  During  his  residence  in 
Iowa  he  dealt  extensively  in  real  estate, 
buying  and  selling,  as  the  records  show, 
more  than  two  hundred  thousand  acres 
of  land.  The  Civil  War,  however,  so  de- 
pressed land  values  throughout  the  West 
that  for  the  time  being  real  estate  became 
a  hazardous  investment,  and  in  1865  Mr. 
Stockdale  removed  to  Baltimore,  Mary- 


1975 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


land,  where  he  engaged  in  the  wholesale 
drug  business  as  head  of  the  well  known 
firm  of  Stockdale,  Smith  &  Company. 
He  was  also  the  owner  of  a  petroleum 
oil  refinery  until  the  methods  of  the 
Standard  Oil  Company  proved  fatal  to  all 
competition. 

Mr.  Stockdale  and  his  family  removed 
in  1881  to  Washington,  Pennsylvania, 
where  for  several  years  he  owned  and 
published  "'The  Review  and  Examiner." 
Being  an  intensely  public-spirited  man  he 
was  always  interested  and  helpful  in  all 
enterprises  which  meditated  the  moral 
improvement  and  social  culture  of  the 
community  and  foremost  in  movements 
which  tended  to  further  the  progress  and 
welfare  of  his  home  town.  In  1883  he 
secured  a  State  charter  for  the  transpor- 
tation and  use  of  natural  gas  for  light  and 
heat.  A  company  of  enterprising  citizens 
was  organized  and  the  development  of 
oil  and  gas  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of 
Washington  was  the  result.  His  endeav- 
ors along  this  line  aided  materially  in  the 
development  and  utilization  of  these  re- 
sources and  promoted  greatly  the  pros- 
perity of  the  borough. 

In  1884  he  accepted  the  nomination  for 
Congress  on  the  Democratic  ticket  as 
representative  of  the  district  comprising 
Washington,  Beaver  and  Lawrence  coun- 
ties. Possessed  of  an  attractive  person- 
ality, an  alert  mind  well  stored  with 
knowledge  and  a  fine  memory,  Mr.  Stock- 
dale  was  unusually  gifted  as  an  extem- 
poraneous speaker.  His  language  was 
forceful  and  he  expressed  himself  with  an 
earnestness  and  sincerity  which  carried 
conviction.  He  had  graphic  powers  of 
conversation,  and  an  unusual  fund  of 
quaint  humor.  He  was  honorable  him- 
self and  hated  injustice,  he  loved  law  and 
order  and  was  ever  a  champion  of  the 
people's  rights.  There  were  no  neutral 
tints  in  his  political  colors;  he  was  an 
ardent  Democrat,  believing  thoroughly  in 


his  party  and  its  principles.  Though 
never  a  man  of  rugged  health,  his  bear- 
ing was  forceful  and  resolute,  and  he  had 
a  strong  will  and  great  tenacity  of  pur- 
pose. His  face,  with  its  clear-cut  refined 
features,  keen  grey  eyes  and  long  beard 
conveyed  the  impression  of  patrician 
blood.  His  manner,  at  once  courtly  and 
kindly,  proclaimed  him  to  be  what  he  was 
in  fact,  a  Christian  gentleman  "of  the 
old  school."  He  had  been  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  church  from  early  life. 
He  enjoyed  much  success;  he  bore  pros- 
perity with  simplicity  and  reverses  with 
dignity ;  "he  was  equal  to  either  fortune." 
It  was  at  his  home  in  Washington, 
Pennsylvania,  that  the  death  of  Mr. 
Stockdale  occurred  September  17,  1897, 
closing  a  life  of  usefulness  and  honor. 
Many  elements  united  to  form  his  char- 
acter, the  wise  legislator,  the  astute  man 
of  aflfairs,  the  progressive  citizen  and  the 
staunch  friend.  "When  he  felt  the  eve- 
ning shadows  coming  on"  and  no  longer 
could  take  a  part,  he  retained  a  fresh  and 
virile  interest  in  all  public  affairs  and 
matters  of  government  as  he  had  done  all 
his  life  long.  It  was  because  of  these 
strong  personal  characteristics  that  in 
June,  1913,  his  daughter  established  in 
Washington  and  Jefferson  College,  at 
Washington,  Pennsylvania,  as  a  memorial 
to  him,  The  John  M.  Stockdale  Lecture- 
ship on  Political  Science  and  Political 
Service. 


BODINE,  Samuel  Taylor, 

Man  of  Large  Affairs. 

Samuel  Taylor  Bodine  was  born  in 
Philadelphia,  August  23,  1854,  son  of 
Samuel  Tucker  Bodine,  one  time  mayor 
of  Kensington,  a  director  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Railroad ;  manager  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Board  of  Education,  a  high  type 
of  manhood  and  citizenship,  conducting 
his  business  along  constructive  lines  and 


1976 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


at  all  times  observant  of  the  rights  and 
privileges  of  others.  His  mother,  Louisa 
Wylie,  was  a  daughter  of  WiUiam  and 
Martha  (Orr)  Milliken.  The  Bodines  are 
of  French  ancestry,  descendants  of  the 
Le  Baudains,  who  were  of  Chambray, 
France,  in  the  twelfth  century.  The  an- 
glicized name  Bodine  has  been  worthily 
borne  through  five  generations  in  Amer- 
ica by  men  of  many  professions. 

John  Bodine,  grandfather  of  Samuel  T. 
Bodine,  was  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution- 
ary army,  serving  six  years,  entering  as 
a  private  and  winning  a  captain's  com- 
mission. Samuel  T.  Bodine  was  educated 
in  Germantown  Academy,  1862-1869, 
then  entered  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, whence  he  was  graduated  B.  A., 
class  of  1873.  In  1876  his  alma  mater 
conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  Master 
of  Arts.  He  entered  business  life  as  ship- 
ping clerk  with  the  Royersford  (Pennsyl- 
vania) Iron  Foundry  Company,  serving 
until  1874,  then  entering  the  employ  of 
the  Cohansey  Glass  Company  of  Bridge- 
ton,  New  Jersey,  in  a  similar  capacity, 
1874  to  1876.  In  the  latter  year  he  be- 
came associated  with  the  firm  of  Peter 
Wright  &  Sons,  Philadelphia,  and  was 
placed  in  charge  of  the  commercial  work 
of  the  engineering  department  of  the 
American  and  Red  Star  steamship  lines, 
1876  to  1882.  In  1882  he  began  his  long 
association  with  the  public  service  of  his 
native  city.  He  was  in  that  year  elected 
secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  United  Gas 
Improvement  Company,  and  in  1888  he 
was  elected  general  manager  of  the  com- 
pany. Four  years  later  he  was  elected 
second  vice-president,  and  in  1894  was 
promoted  to  the  first  vice-presidency,  but 
continued  through  all  these  years  to  bear 
the  title  and  fill  the  position  of  general 
manager  of  the  corporation.  When  Presi- 
dent Dolan  was  elected  the  executive  head 
of  the  corporation,  he  would  only  accept 
on    the   condition    that   Mr.    Bodine    be 


elected  first  vice-president.  This  demand 
was  gladly  granted  by  the  board  of  direc- 
tors, and  in  his  dual  capacity  of  vice- 
president  and  general  manager,  he  served 
until  1912,  when  he  was  elected  president 
of  the  great  and  powerful  corporation 
familiarly  known  in  Philadelphia  as  the 
"U.  ('•■  I."  His  executive  ability  is  not 
yet  tested  to  its  limit,  notwithstand- 
ing the  magnitude  of  company  operations, 
nor  is  his  work  finished,  plans  for  future 
betterment  and  expansion  are  constantly 
under  consideration.  While  great  prob- 
lems have  been  solved,  others  remain  yet 
to  be  worked  out. 

While  his  greatest  concern  is  the  "U. 
G.  I.,"  he  has  other  important  business 
interests  and  connections.  He  holds  di- 
rectorships in  the  Franklin  National 
Bank,  the  Commercial  Trust  Company, 
the  Guarantee  Company  of  North  Amer- 
ica, and  the  Pennsylvania  Company  for 
Insurance  on  Lives  and  Granting  Annu- 
ities. He  is  also  interested  in  educational 
institutions ;  is  trustee  of  the  Episcopal 
Academy  of  Philadelphia,  while  to  his 
alma  mater  he  has  donated  the  building 
known  as  Bodine  Dormitory.  He  retains 
his  interest  in  the  student  body  through 
his  college  fraternity,  Phi  Kappa  Sigma. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church,  the  Sons  of  the  Revolution,  and 
Franklin  Institute.  His  clubs  are  the 
Rittenhouse,  University,  Racquet,  Ger- 
mantown Cricket,  Merion  Cricket  of 
Philadelphia,  and  the  University  of  New 
York. 

Mr.  Bodine  married,  at  Germantown, 
November  15,  1883,  Eleanor  Gray,  daugh- 
ter of  William  Gray  and  Sarah  Wells 
(Bushnell)  Warden.  Children:  Louise 
Warden,  born  December  15,  1884;  Elea- 
nor Gray,  August  21,  1886,  now  the  wife 
of  William  Graves  Perry,  of  Boston  ;  Wil- 
liam Warden,  October  18,  1887. 

His  has  been  a  notably  successful  busi- 
ness career,  but  his  success,  says  a  bio- 
977 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


grapher:  "Is  no  less  pleasing  in  its  con- 
templation than  the  elements  of  his  char- 
acter, which  have  most  endeared  him  to 
those  who  have  had  the  privilege  of  fre- 
quent association  with  him ;  the  courtesy 
and  broad  tolerance,  the  keen  perception 
and  scholarlv  conversation,  the  sense  of 
humor  and  kindly  wit,  and  the  beauty 
and  dignity  of  his  home  life,  which  have 
made  him  the  worthy  and  sought  com- 
panion of  the  cultured,  while  the  sim- 
plicity and  integrity  of  his  character 
have  won  him  the  affection,  and  respect 
of  men  of  every  class." 


NORTH,  Hugh  M.,  Jr., 

La^^er,  Man  of  Affairs. 

For  sixty-five  years  Lancaster  county 
and  Pennsylvania  legal  circles  have 
known  the  name  of  Hugh  M.  North,  this 
long  record  being  the  combined  careers 
of  the  late  Hugh  M.  North,  and  his  son 
of  the  same  name.  The  honorable  posi- 
tion in  the  law,  in  the  public  service,  in 
politics,  and  in  religious  and  business 
activity,  attained  by  Hugh  M.  North,  Sr., 
stamped  him  as  a  man  of  most  unusual 
mental  powers,  resistless  determination, 
and  strong  moral  texture,  and  his  achieve- 
ments in  the  varied  lines  with  which  he 
was  identified  were  of  more  than  ordi- 
nary brilliance.  In  the  present  gener- 
ation his  son,  Hugh  M.  North,  Jr.,  a  law- 
yer of  twelve  years  standing,  his  pro- 
fessional career  inaugurated  in  partner- 
ship with  the  elder  North,  an  association 
broken  only  by  the  death  of  the  senior 
member  of  the  firm,  has  worthily  meas- 
ured up  to  the  high  expectations  of  those 
who  knew  and  loved  his  honored  father, 
and  in  varied  associations  and  connec- 
tions, professional,  business,  fraternal,  re- 
ligious and  social,  shows  himself  deserv- 
ing of  the  title  he  bears  and  proud  of  its 
ownership. 

Hugh   M.   North,  Sr.,  was  of  Scotch- 


Irish  ancestry,  one  of  his  forbears  ac- 
companying Cromwell  to  Ireland,  where 
in  Westmeath  county  he  was  granted  a 
large  estate,  there  founding  his  family. 
He  was  a  son  of  John  and  Jane  (McAl- 
ister)  North,  his  mother  a  daughter  of 
Hugh  McAlister,  one  of  the  original 
Juniata  county  settlers,  and  granddaugh- 
ter of  Major  Hugh  McAlister,  of  Revo- 
lutionary fame,  founder  and  proprietor  of 
McAlisterville,  Juniata  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania. It  was  in  this  place  that  Hugh 
M.  North  was  born.  May  7,  1826.  and 
died  December  20,  1907.  Here  he  attended 
the  district  schools,  afterward  complet- 
ing a  course  in  the  Mifflinburg  Academy, 
an  institution  well  favored  in  educational 
circles.  When  he  was  twenty  years  of 
age  he  began  the  study  of  law,  reading 
in  the  offices  of  Edmund  S.  Doty  and 
Judge  Joseph  Casey,  of  New  Berlin.  Un- 
ion county,  Pennsylvania,  successfully 
taking  his  examinations  for  admissi(^n  to 
the  bar,  and  being  granted  the  right  to 
practice  in  both  Union  and  Lancaster 
t'ounties  in  1849.  He  began  practice  in 
Columbia,  Pennsylvania,  in  that  year,  and, 
making  a  favorable  impression  from  his 
earliest  cases,  was  soon  in  possession  of 
a  lucrative  and  rapidly  increasing  prac- 
tice. In  addition  to  his  extensive  clien- 
tele among  persons  in  private  and  busi- 
ness life,  he  was  for  forty  years  solicitor 
for  both  the  Pennsylvania  and  the  Phila- 
delphia &  Reading  Railroad  companies, 
and  during  the  long  period  of  his  greatest 
eminence  there  was  scarcely  an  important 
case  tried  in  the  State  with  which  he  was 
not  connected.  He  was  an  advocate  of 
positive  knowledge,  his  finely  trained 
mind  retaining  a  firm  grasp  upon  every 
phase  of  a  case  in  which  he  was  inter- 
ested, and  his  presentation  of  his  argu- 
ment, always  logical  and  forceful,  was 
made  with  courtesy  to  his  opponents  and 
deference  to  the  court.  He  was  a  gentle- 
man    of     commanding     presence,     the 


1978 


u^Sci-is  ^^r^  jvyr 


V  df  ^^^  .-vo^ 


d^^c^^'-t:^ 


^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


strength  of  his  personality  and  character 
reflected  in  his  bearing,  and  he  impressed 
his  hearers  with  the  certainty  of  his  pro- 
cedure, the  uninterrupted  flow  of  his 
thought,  and  its  apt  translation  into  lan- 
guage easily  understandable  and  finely 
correct. 

Mr.  North  had  been  a  member  of  the 
legal  fraternity  of  Pennsylvania  but  live 
years  when  his  merits  and  superior  qual- 
ities found  recognition  in  his  election  to 
the  Pennsylvania  Legislature  as  the  nom- 
inee of  the  Democratic-Independent 
parties,  and  in  the  capacity  of  represen- 
tative his  public  service,  so  ably  per- 
formed and  of  such  signal  value,  began. 
He  was,  throughout  his  entire  life,  iden- 
tified with  the  Democratic  party,  and  in 
i860  was  a  delegate  to  the  Democratic 
National  Convention  at  Charleston, 
South  Carolina,  in  this  convention  being 
a  member  of  the  committee  on  creden- 
tials, a  committee  which,  because  of  the 
closely  strained  political  conditions,  was 
one  most  important.  In  1S64  he  was  the 
Democratic  opponent  for  Congress  of 
Thaddeus  Stevens,  and  in  the  returns  ran 
far  ahead  of  his  ticket,  an  achievement 
rarely  credited  to  a  Democratic  candidate 
in  that  day,  and  in  1872  opposed  A.  Herr 
Smith  for  the  same  office.  In  1874  Mr. 
North  received  a  large  vote  for  the  Demo- 
cratic nomination  for  the  Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernorship, and  in  the  following  y-jar  was 
accorded  flattering  support  for  the  guber- 
natorial nomination.  He  was  a  delegate- 
at-large  to  the  Democratic  National  Con- 
vention at  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  in  1876, 
and  in  1884  was  a  presidential  elector, 
casting  his  ballot  in  the  electoral  college 
for  Grover  Cleveland,  who  at  that  time 
entered  the  White  House  for  the  first 
time.  He  was  nominated  in  1891  for 
President  Judge  of  Lancaster  county,  and 
the  following  year,  upon  the  death  of  the 
incumbent  of  that  office,  was  ofiFered  that 
position  by  the  Governor  of  the  State, 
PA— Vol  VI— 10  I 


but  declined  the  honor.  In  1904  he  was  a 
delegate  to  the  Democratic  National  Con- 
vention at  St.  Louis  which  nominated 
Hon.  Alton  B.  Parker  for  the  Presidency. 

Mr.  North  was  one  of  the  prime  factors 
in  the  movement  that  resulted  in  the  or- 
ganization of  the  Lancaster  County  Bar 
Association,  and  upon  its  formation  he 
was  unanimously  elected  its  first  presi- 
dent, an  office  he  held  for  many  years. 
He  likewise  held  membership  in  the 
Pennsylvania  Bar  Association,  and  was  a 
prominent  member  of  the  American  Bar 
Association,  for  a  time  belonging  to  its 
council  for  the  State  of  Pennsylvania. 

He  was  for  a  number  of  years  presi- 
dent of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Colum- 
bia, Pennsylvania,  his  leadership  inspir- 
ing trust  and  confidence  in  that  firmly 
founded  institution,  and  he  was  at  differ- 
ent times  solicitor  for  two  banks  of  Co- 
lumbia and  for  numerous  other  corpora- 
tions. In  the  affairs  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  church  he  was  ever  active,  be- 
ing a  member  and  vestryman  of  St.  Paul's 
Church  of  that  denomination  in  Columbia, 
Pennsylvania.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
standing  committee  of  the  Diocese  of 
Central  Pennsylvania,  and  in  1895,  1898 
and  1901  was  a  deputy  to  the  General 
Convention,  contributing  generously  to 
the  funds  maintained  to  further  the  mis- 
sionary work  of  the  church  and  to  dis- 
charge its  current  expenses.  The  action 
of  Franklin  and  Marshall  Academy  in 
conferring  upon  him  the  honorary  degree 
of  Doctor  of  Laws  in  1887  was  a  splen- 
did tribute  to  his  scholarship  and  lofty 
legal  standing,  and  recognition  of  an  hon- 
orable and  useful  career.  Mr.  North  was 
a  member  of  the  Scotch-Irish  Society  of 
Pennsylvania,  interested  in  its  activities 
and  a  participant  whenever  possible. 

He  married,  December  23,  1868,  Serena 
Mayer,  daughter  of  Thomas  Emlen 
Franklin,  LL.  D.,  of  Lancaster,  Pennsyl- 
vania, Attorney  General  of  Pennsylvania 

979 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


under  Governors  Johnson  and  Pollock. 
Hugh  M.  and  Serena  (Franklin)  North 
were  the  parents  of :  Serena,  married 
Joseph  B.  Hutchinson,  and  Hugh  AL,  Jr., 
of  whom  further. 

Hugh  M.  North,  Jr.,  son  of  Hugh  M. 
and  Serena  M.  (Franklin)  North,  was  born 
in  Columbia,  Lancaster  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, June  21,  1873,  and  he  prepared  for 
college  at  the  Lawrenceville  School, 
Lawrenceville,  New  Jersey,  subsequently 
matriculating  at  Yale  University.  He 
was  graduated  from  this  institution  Ph. 
B.  in  the  class  of  1897,  and  prepared  for 
legal  work  under  the  instruction  of  his 
father,  gaining  admission  to  the  bar  in 
March,  1902.  From  that  date  until  the 
death  of  his  father,  he  and  the  elder 
North  were  associated  in  their  profes- 
sional labors,  and  since  that  time  Mr. 
North  has  continued  in  practice  in  Co- 
lumbia, Pennsylvania,  adding  to  profes- 
sional success  prominence  in  business  and 
financial  circles.  Among  his  business  in- 
terests are  his  duties  as  president  of  the 
Columbia  National  Bank,  of  Columbia ; 
director  of  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Columbia,  Pennsylvania,  of  which  his 
father  was  long  chief  officer ;  president  of 
the  Columbia  Flospital ;  a  director  of  the 
Keeley  Stove  Company,  of  Columbia  ;  and 
president  and  director  of  many  other 
business  corporations. 

Mr.  North,  in  political  matters,  yields 
allegiance  to  the  Democratic  party,  and 
has  on  four  occasions  served  as  secre- 
tary of  the  Democratic  State  Conven- 
tion. Nominated  on  the  Democratic 
ticket  for  Congress  in  1904,  he  was  de- 
feated, and  five  years  later  was  nominated 
for  judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas, 
withdrawing  from  the  race  in  order  to 
make  the  election  of  Judge  Landis  unani- 
mous. In  1900  Mr.  North  was  commis- 
sioned battalion  adjutant  of  the  National 
Guard  of  Pennsylvania,  and  during  the 
coal  strike  of  that  year  saw  forty  days  of 


service,  two  years  later  serving  for  forty 
days  on  a  similar  occasion. 

Hugh  M.  North,  Jr.,  is  a  communicant 
of  St.  Paul's  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
of  Columbia,  and  a  member  of  its  vestry, 
and  is  president  of  the  board  of  trus- 
tees of  the  Columbia  Hospital.  He  holds 
the  thirty-second  degree  in  the  Masonic 
order,  belonging  to  Harrisburg  Consis- 
tory, and  is  a  member  of  Lodge,  No.  286, 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  of  Columbia ; 
Columbia  Chapter,  Royal  Arch  Masons ; 
Lancaster  Lodge  of  Perfection,  and  Zem- . 
bo  Temple,  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine, 
of  Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania.  His  other 
fraternal  society  is  the  Benevolent  and 
Protective  Order  of  Elks,  of  Columbia, 
Pennsylvania,  and  his  clubs  are  the  Ham- 
ilton, of  Lancaster,  the  Country,  of  Lan- 
caster, the  Country,  of  York,  and  the 
University,  of  Philadelphia.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Pennsylvania  and  Amer- 
ican Bar  x\ssociations,  the  Lancaster 
County  Historical  Society,  the  Historical 
Society  of  Pennsylvania,  the  Swedish 
Colonial  Society,  the  Scotch-Irish  Society, 
and  St.  Andrew's  Society.  Mr.  North  is 
progressive  in  citizenship,  a  lawyer  of 
proven  ability  and  worthy  reputation,  a 
financier  of  accurate  judgment,  and  a 
successful  business  man,  and  is  well  re- 
garded and  liked  whatever  his  associa- 
tions with  his  fellows. 


DORRANCE,  Benjamin  Ford, 

Iiaiivyer,  Enterprising  Citizen. 

A  soldier  of  the  Gospel  army  of  peace. 
Rev.  Samuel  Dorrance,  "Scotch  Presby- 
terian lately  arrived  from  Ireland,"  was 
the  founder  of  this  branch  of  the  Dor- 
rance family.  The  old  divine  must  have 
had  a  strong  militant  strain  in  his  make- 
up, that  not  even  his  holy  calling  could 
subdue,  for  he  bred  a  race  of  warriors 
that  as  bravely  fought  the  enemies  of 
their  country,  in  actual  combat,  as  their 
980 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Presbyterian  ancestors  fought  the  enemy 
of  souls. 

Rev.  Samuel  Dorrance  was  a  graduate 
of  the  University  of  Glasgov^^,  licensed  to 
preach  by  the  Presbytery  of  Dumbarton 
in  171 1.  He  settled  in  Connecticut,  after 
his  emigration,  and  followed  his  holy  call- 
ing until  the  weight  of  years  compelled 
him  to  "cease  from  his  labors."  He  died 
in  Connecticut,  in  1775,  aged  ninety  years. 
With  his  son,  George  Dorrance,  the  fam- 
ily appeared  in  Pennsylvania,  settling  in 
the  Wyoming  Valley,  where  he  held  the 
rank  of  lieutenant-colonel  of  militia,  and 
after  a  life  of  brave  deeds  fell  in  the  battle 
known  as  the  Wyoming  Valley  Massacre. 

His  mantle  fell  on  his  son,  Colonel 
Benjamin  Dorrance,  who  bravely  upheld 
the  family  honor,  and  in  turn  was  suc- 
ceeded by  his  son,  Colonel  Charles  Dor- 
rance, born  1805,  a  noted  agriculturist  of 
Luzerne  county,  owning  and  conducting 
the  old  homestead  farm,  making  it  the 
model  farm  of  the  valley.  Colonel  Dor- 
rance held  many  positions  of  honor  and 
trust  in  both  civil  and  military  life,  and  at 
his  beautiful  valley  home  dispensed  a 
generous  hospitality  in  keeping  with  his 
position  and  educated  tastes.  His  wife, 
Susan  E.,  was  a  daughter  of  James  Ford, 
of  Lawrenceville,  Pennsylvania,  State 
legislator  and  Congressman.  His  wife, 
Maria  Lindsley  Ford,  was  a  daughter  of 
Judge  Eleazer  Lindsley,  of  Steuben 
county,  New  York,  and  the  granddaugh- 
ter of  Colonel  Eleazer  Lindsley,  a  brave 
officer  of  the  Revolution. 

From  such  sterling  ancestors  came 
Benjamin  Ford  Dorrance,  son  of  Colonel 
Charles  and  Susan  E.  (Ford)  Dorrance, 
also  a  man  of  battle  but  his  is  the  war- 
fare of  brain,  learning,  and  wordy  bul- 
lets, that,  while  they  rend  and  rankle, 
cause  no  shedding  of  blood,  but  carry 
the  same  convincing  power  as  the  steel 
clad  bullet  of  the  modern  rifle.  He  was 
born    in     Kingston     township,     Luzerne 


county,  Pennsylvania,  August  14,  1846. 
After  preliminary  courses  in  the  public 
schools,  he  prepared  for  college  at  Lu- 
zerne Institute,  then  entered  Princeton 
University,  whence  he  was  graduated 
Bachelor  of  Arts,  class  of  1868.  He  pur- 
sued a  course  of  legal  study  under  Andrew 
T.  McClintock,  and  on  August  20,  1870, 
was  admitted  to  the  Luzerne  county  bar. 
From  that  date  until  1885  he  was  con- 
tinuously engaged  in  the  practice  of  law, 
securing  a  high  position  at  the  bar  as  an 
able,  honorable  practitioner,  devoted  to 
the  interest  of  his  clients  and  a  strict  ob- 
server of  the  ethics  of  his  profession. 
His  practice  has  extended  to  all  State  and 
Federal  courts  of  the  district,  and  to  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States. 
After  three  years  of  successful  though 
arduous  practice,  his  eyesight  partially 
failed,  and  giving  up  active  practice  he 
returned  to  the  management  of  the  Dor- 
rance homestead  farm,  made  famous  by 
his  father.  Here  he  has  carried  on  farm- 
ing and  stock  breeding  operations  on  the 
most  advanced  modern  scientific  prin- 
ciples. Special  attention  is  also  given  to 
horticulture,  a  branch  of  which  Mr.  Dor- 
rance is  passionately  fond.  He  has  other 
business  interests  of  importance.  He  is 
head  of  the  firm,  Benjamin  Dorrance ;  is 
director  of  the  New  York  Cut  Flower 
Company ;  and  president  of  "A  company 
for  erecting  a  bridge  across  the  Susque- 
hanna river  at  Wilkes-Barre."  He  is  a 
Democrat  in  politics  and  for  many  years 
has  served  as  school  director  of  the 
borough  of  Dorrancetown.  In  religious 
conviction  he  is  a  Presbyterian. 

Mr.  Dorrance  married,  at  Bath,  New- 
York.  May  22,  \%-j2,  Ruth  WoodhuU, 
daughter  of  Schuyler  Strong,  a  promi- 
nent lawyer  of  the  New  York  bar.  Chil- 
dren :  Anne,  Frances  and  Ruth.  The 
family  home  is  at  DorrancetOAvn,  Luzerne 
county,  Pennsylvania,  where  amid  con- 
genial surroundings  and  near  the  place 
981 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


made  holy  by  the  blood  of  his  sire,  he  is 
enjoying  the  blessings  of  family  and  for- 
tune. He  is  president  of  the  Wyoming 
Commemorative  Society ;  member  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Society;  the  Sons  of  the 
Revolution ;  hereditary  companion  of  the 
Military  Order  of  Foreign  Wars ;  Penn- 
sylvania Commandery;  and  a  member  of 
the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  of  Eng- 
land. His  clubs  are  the  Princeton  of 
New  York  City,  and  the  Florists  of  Phil- 
adelphia. His  favorite  sports  are  hunt- 
ing and  fishing,  stated  portions  of  each 
year  being  devoted  to  favorite  localities 
for  each  sport.  His  degrees.  Bachelor 
and  Master  of  Arts,  w^ere  conferred  by 
Princeton  University,  the  former  in  1868, 
the  latter  in  1871. 

It  is  now  nearly  two  centuries  (1722- 
1912)  since  the  "Presbyterian  Scotch- 
man" arrived  at  Voluntown,  Connecticut, 
and  there  began  the  long  career  of  use- 
fulness that  so  endeared  him  to  his 
people.  No  less  revered  is  the  memory 
of  the  sons,  grandsons  and  great-grand- 
sons in  the  Wyoming  Valley,  where  their 
names  as  soldiers,  statesmen,  professional 
and  business  men  adorn  the  records.  The 
traits  of  loyalty,  hospitality,  and  neigh- 
borly kindness  that  have  ever  distin- 
guished them  are  strongly  exemplified  in 
the  present  day  representative  whose 
honorable  career  has  been  thus  briefly 
traced. 


CUMMINS,  Albert  Baird, 

statesman,  United  States  Senator. 

There  are  different  families  of  this 
name  in  the  United  States,  many  of  whom 
spell  the  name  Cummings.  Senator  Cum- 
mins is  of  Scotch-Irish  lineage,  descend- 
ed from  that  thrifty,  industrious  and  in- 
tellectually keen  people  who  have  been 
conspicuous  as  pioneers  in  many  sections 
of  this  country,  as  well  as  in  Northern 
Ireland,  which  was  chiefly  settled  by  peo- 


ple from  Scotland.  One  of  this  class, 
Andrew  Cummins,  resided  on  the  eastern 
shore  of  Maryland  until  after  the  Revo- 
lution, when  he  located  in  Western  Penn- 
sylvania. His  son,  Benjamin  Franklin 
Cummins,  born  in  that  section,  was  a 
farmer  of  Cumberland  township,  Greene 
county,  where  he  died.  His  wife,  Eliza- 
beth, was  a  daughter  of  Samuel  Finch, 
who  came  to  Pennsylvania  from  Eastern 
Virginia  about  1789.  The  Greene  county 
home  of  the  Cummins  family  was  near 
Carmichaels.  Thomas  Layton  Cummins, 
son  of  Benjamin  Franklin,  was  born 
March  6,  1823,  near  Carmichaels,  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools,  and  learn- 
ed the  trade  of  carpenter.  In  course  of 
time  he  erected  many  of  the  dwellings 
and  farm  buildings  of  Greene  county, 
under  contract.  Like  his  ancestors,  he 
was  a  faithful  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian church,  and  when  the  Republican 
party  was  organized  he  became  one  of 
its  steadfast  supporters.  He  married 
Sarah  Baird  Flenniken,  born  December 
20,  1826,  in  the  same  neighborhood  as 
himself,  daughter  of  James  and  Mary 
(McClelland)  Flenniken,  and  grand- 
daughter of  Judge  John  Flenniken,  who 
came  to  Greene  county  from  North  Caro- 
lina. Judge  Flenniken  was  an  ardent 
patriot  and  a  delegate  to  the  convention 
held  at  Charlotte,  North  Carolina,  May 
^9>  ^775-  He  was  not  only  influential 
in  passing,  but  signed  his  name  to  the 
Mecklenburg  Declaration  of  Independ- 
ence, which  document  antedated  the 
Philadelphia  declaration  by  considerably 
more  than  a  year.  From  this,  tradition 
says,  Thomas  Jefferson  drew  some  of  the 
principal  points  of  the  famous  declaration 
of  July  4,  1776.  John  Flenniken  was  also 
an  elder  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and 
represented  the  new  county  of  Greene, 
upon  its  formation,  in  the  State  Legisla- 
ture. For  many  years  he  was  one  of  the 
associate  judges  of  the  Court  of  Common 
982 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Pleas,  his  commission  dated  March  17, 
1796.  His  son,  James  Flenniken,  was 
born  about  1790,  in  Cumberland  town- 
ship, and  lived  to  be  more  than  eighty 
years  old.  His  wife,  Mary  McClelland, 
was,  like  himself,  of  Scotch  descent. 

Albert  Baird  Cummins,  eldest  son  of 
Thomas  Layton  and  Sarah  B.  (Flenni- 
ken) Cummins,  was  born  February  15, 
1850,  near  Carmichaels,  and  there  grew 
to  maturity  upon  the  homestead  farm. 
In  boyhood  he  attended  the  common 
schools,  and  was  later  a  student  at 
Waynesburg  College.  At  the  early  age 
of  nineteen  years  he  became  a  western 
pioneer,  settling  in  1869  at  Elkader,  Clay- 
ton county,  Iowa,  where  he  secured  a 
clerkship  in  the  county  recorder's  office. 
Later  he  worked  at  the  trade  of  carpen- 
ter, which  he  had  learned  through  assist- 
ing his  father.  For  a  time  he  was  em- 
ployed as  an  express  clerk,  and  subse- 
quently engaged  in  surveying.  In  this 
way  he  gained  a  practical  knowledge  of 
civil  engineering,  and  in  1871  was  thus 
employed  in  Allen  county,  Indiana,  serv- 
ing as  deputy  surveyor.  Having  per- 
fected himself  as  an  engineer,  he  was  ap- 
pointed division  engineer  in  the  construc- 
tion of  the  Cincinnati,  Richmond  &  Fort 
Wayne  railroad.  After  he  was  actively 
in  charge  of  the  Northern  Central  Michi- 
gan railroad,  where  he  was  for  some  time 
busily  employed.  Having  determined  to 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  law,  he  began 
his  studies  at  Chicago,  Illinois,  in  the 
offices  of  McClelland  &  Hodges,  and  two 
years  later  was  admitted  to  the  county 
bar.  From  1875  to  1878  he  was  engaged 
in  law  practice  in  Chicago,  and  in  the 
last  named  year  located  at  Des  Moines. 
Iowa,  which  has  ever  since  been  his 
home,  and  formed  a  law  partnership  with 
his  brother,  James  C.  Cummins.  The 
latter  retired  from  practice  nine  years 
subsequently,  and  the  present  senator  be- 
came a  member  of  the  firm  of  Wright, 


Cummins  &  Wright,  which  was  soon 
after  succeeded  by  Cummins  &  Wright, 
later  Cummins,  Hewitt  &  Wright.  Pos- 
sessed of  energy,  a  clear  conception  of 
the  law,  and  a  pleasing  personality,  A. 
B.  Cummins  made  rapid  advancement  in 
the  profession,  and  in  1890  was  elected 
president  of  the  Polk  County  Bar  Asso- 
ciation. In  the  meantime  he  had  been 
active  in  political  movements,  and  made 
rapid  rise  in  public  favor.  Believing 
earnestly  in  the  broad  principles  and  con- 
structive policy  of  the  Republican  party, 
he  became  eminent  in  its  councils,  and 
began  his  public  service  as  a  member  of 
the  Iowa  House  of  Representatives,  to 
which  he  was  elected  in  1887.  In  the  Re- 
publican State  Convention  of  1892  he  was 
temporary  chairman,  and  by  the  same 
convention  elected  as  an  alternate  to  the 
national  convention  held  at  Minneapolis. 
In  the  campaign  of  that  year  he  was 
made  a  presidential  elector-at-large,  and 
during  the  campaign  made  many  speeches 
in  support  of  the  Republican  platform 
and  candidates.  In  1896  he  was  perma- 
nent chairman  of  the  Iowa  State  Con- 
vention, and  was  again  made  a  delegate 
to  the  national  convention,  and  by  the 
delegation  was  chosen  as  national  com- 
mitteeman for  a  period  of  four  years.  In 
1901  he  was  nominated  by  the  Repub- 
licans of  Iowa  for  the  high  office  of  Gov- 
ernor, and  was  elected  by  a  majority  ap- 
proximating one  hundred  thousand.  Be- 
ginning with  January  i,  1902,  he  served 
two  years,  and  was  reelected,  continuing 
in  the  gubernatorial  chair  until  January 
I,  1906.  His  administration  found  favor 
with  the  people  of  the  State,  and  for  the 
third  time  he  was  elected,  but  resigned 
November  24,  1908,  to  accept  the  ofTice 
of  United  States  Senator,  to  which  he 
had  been  elected.  Long  before  this  time 
Governor  Cummins  had  become  a  na- 
tional figure,  and  many  of  his  advanced 
ideas    have   been    written    into  the   plat- 

983 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


forms  of  his  party,  east  and  west.  As  an 
executive  he  was  fearless  and  capable, 
and  attracted  to  himself  the  progressive 
element  of  his  party,  naturally  thus  an- 
tagonizing and  alienating  its  reaction- 
aries. The  State,  however,  rallied  to  his 
support,  and  he  retired  from  the  Gov- 
ernorship, firmly  intrenched  in  the  regard 
of  the  greater  and  best  element  of  his 
party,  not  only  in  Iowa,  but  in  many  sec- 
tions of  the  country.  The  death  of  Sen- 
ator Allison  having  caused  a  vacancy, 
Governor  Cummins  was  elected  to  suc- 
ceed him,  November  24,  1908,  the  term 
expiring  the  following  March.  He  was 
then  elected  by  the  Legislature  for  the 
full  term  of  six  years,  extending  to 
March,  1915.  In  November,  1914,  at  the 
first  popular  election  for  United  States 
Senator  in  Iowa,  he  was  elected  to  suc- 
ceed himself,  and  the  country  is  thus 
assured  of  his  valuable  services  for  a  fur- 
ther period  of  six  years.  In  the  United 
States  Senate,  Mr.  Cummins  is  appreci- 
ated, esteemed  and  respected  for  his  firm 
support  of  his  announced  principles,  to- 
gether with  his  courteous  and  gentle- 
manly demeanor  at  all  times.  All  his  con- 
tests have  been  conducted  in  the  open, 
and  many  of  his  opponents,  while  they 
fear  him,  cannot  fail  to  respect  him  for 
his  straightforward  methods.  In  1912 
his  name  was  prominently  before  the 
Chicago  Convention  for  the  presidential 
nomination,  but  the  nomination  of  Mr. 
Taft  was  the  inevitable  consequence  of 
conditions  then  existing.  Had  Senator 
Cummins  consented  to  certain  proposals 
which  involved  the  surrender  of  princi- 
ples to  which  he  was  committed,  it  is 
quite  possible  that  he  might  have  been 
nominated.  His  career  has  been  one  of 
honorable  patriotic  service,  and  he  stands 
most  conspicuous  among  the  leaders  of 
the  progressive  movement  in  politics, 
whose  motives  cannot  be  impugned,  and 
whose  record  cannot  be  successfully  at- 
tacked. 


Remarkable  as  a  campaigner,  he  has 
rendered  his  party  inestimable  service 
in  many  hard  contests,  and  in  his  own 
State  he  has  carried  through  many  meas- 
ures that  have  been  of  great  benefit  to 
the  people,  and  made  Iowa  one  of  the 
foremost  states  in  the  progressive  polit- 
ical movement.  He  is  honored  in  State 
and  nation,  and  when  the  battle  shall 
have  been  finally  won  and  the  people 
come  again  "into  their  own,"  a  full  meas- 
ure of  credit  must  be  awarded  Senator 
Albert  Baird  Cummins,  this  son  of  Greene 
county,  who  transplanted  from  the  rug- 
ged hills  of  Pennsylvania  to  the  treeless 
prairies  of  Iowa,  there  took  root,  flour- 
ished and  became  a  leader  of  modern 
political  thought.  From  various  insti- 
tutions of  learning  Senator  Cummins  has 
received  degrees  which  are  alike  honor- 
able to  himself  and  those  institutions.  In 
191 2  he  received  from  Waynesburg  Col- 
lege (Pennsylvania),  the  honorary  de- 
gree of  Doctor  of  Laws,  and  in  the  same 
year  received  from  Cornell  (Iowa)  Col- 
lege, a  like  honor.  He  is  a  consistent 
professor  of  the  broad  fraternal  princi- 
ples of  the  Masonic  order,  with  which 
he  is  affiliated,  and  he  belongs  to  various 
bar  associations,  political  organizations, 
and  scientific  societies,  and  still  main- 
tains an  active  interest  in  his  profession. 
Among  the  clubs  in  which  he  holds  mem- 
bership are  the  Grant  and  Golf  and  Coun- 
try clubs  of  Des  Moines ;  Union  League 
of  Chicago;  University,  Chevy  Chase  and 
Columbia  Country  clubs  of  Washington, 
D.  C. 

He  married,  June  24,  1874,  at  Eaton 
Rapids,  Michigan,  Ida  L.  Gallery,  daugh- 
ter of  James  and  Eliza  Gallery.  There  is 
one  child  of  this  union,  Kate  Cummins, 
born  July  21,  1875,  who  was  married, 
October,  1898,  to  Hollis  A.  Ranson,  and 
has  sons :  Albert  Cummins,  Alan  and 
Thomas  Scott  Ranson. 


1984 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


HERTZLER,  John, 

Financier,  Leader  in  Community  Affairs. 

Descendant  in  the  present  generation 
of  Jacob  Hertzler,  who  founded  his  line 
in  the  Pennsylvania  colony  in  1749,  John 
Hertzler,  well  known  financier  and  busi- 
ness man  of  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,  has 
given  to  his  name  prominence  in  fields 
into  which  its  members  had  previously 
little  penetrated.  Agriculture  and  the 
pursuits  of  the  farm  have  in  previous 
American  generations  claimed  the  care 
and  attention  of  this  line  of  Hertzler,  and 
in  this  manner  was  occupied  John  Hertz- 
ler, father  of  John,  of  this  chronicle,  gain- 
ing a  comfortable  competence  from  the 
soil  of  his  native  county,  Lancaster.  So 
it  was  not  from  his  forbears  that  John 
Hertzler  obtained  the  ability  and  talent 
that  have  been  the  instruments  of  his  rise 
to  a  position  of  importance  and  influence 
as  a  man  of  wide  afifairs,  but  to  them  he 
is  owing  for  habits  of  steady  industry, 
strong  moral  fibre,  and  a  conscience  im- 
movable in  decision.  Well  does  his  rec- 
ord in  active  life  adorn  the  family  name, 
and  it  is  significant  of  the  deep  religious 
reverence  that  has  ever  been  a  family 
characteristic  and  which  determined  the 
coming  of  the  immigrant  ancestor,  that 
he  is  active  in  many  branches  of  the  work 
of  the  Reformed  church. 

The  American  ancestor  of  this  line  of 
Hertzler  was  Jacob  Hertzler,  who  came 
to  America  from  Holland  in  1749.  He 
was  born  in  Switzerland,  in  1703,  and 
was  a  farmer  and  minister  of  the  Amish 
Mennonite  church,  after  his  marriage  in 
his  native  land  moving  to  the  Palatinate 
and  France,  where  he  lived  for  several 
years.  The  persecutions  of  those  of  in- 
dependent belief  under  the  rule  of  Louis 
XV.  caused  him  to  flee  to  Holland,  and 
from  the  port  of  Rotterdam  he  came  to 
America  via  Plymouth,  England,  in  the 
ship  "St.  Andrew,"  James  Abercrombie, 


master,  landing  in  Philadelphia  on  Sep- 
tember 9,  1749.  He  subsequently  moved 
to  Berne  township,  Lancaster  county, 
Pennsylvania,  now  Upper  Berne  town- 
ship, Berks  county,  he  and  his  wife,  Cath- 
erine Rugey,  being  buried  in  the  Amish 
Congregation  burying  ground  near  Ham- 
burg, Pennsylvania.  His  descendants 
have  made  their  homes  in  different  sec- 
tions of  the  State  and  country,  but  the 
line  of  John  Hertzler  has  retained  resi- 
dence in  Lancaster  county  to  the  present 
time. 

John,  grandfather  of  John  (3)  Hertz- 
ler, passed  his  entire  life  in  Rapho  town- 
ship, Lancaster  county,  a  farmer,  success- 
ful and  well  known.  He  was  a  man  of 
universal  good  report,  married,  and  rear- 
ed a  family,  one  of  his  sons  John  (2),  of 
whom  further. 

John  (2),  son  of  John  Hertzler,  was 
born  in  Rapho  township,  Lancaster  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania,  and,  like  his  father,  en- 
gaged in  agriculture  as  his  life  pursuit. 
lie  was  successful  in  his  operations  and 
prospered  to  a  gratifying  degree,  gam- 
ing besides  material  independence,  the 
confidence  and  respect  of  his  neighbors. 
John  Hertzler  married  (first)  Miss 
Charles,  member  of  an  old  and  promi- 
nent family  of  Manor  township,  Lancas- 
ter county,  Pennsylvania,  and  had  one 
child,  who  died  in  infancy ;  (second) 
Fannie,  daughter  of  John  Eshleman,  a 
letired  farmer  of  Elizabethtown,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  a  member  of  a  long  estab- 
lished and  noted  family  of  the  region. 
Children  of  John  (2)  and  F'annie  (Eshle- 
man) Hertzler:  John,  of  whom  further; 
Mary  A.,  married  Jacob  Hertzler,  de- 
ceased ;  and  Elizabeth,  married  A.  F. 
Murray. 

John  (3),  son  of  John  (2)  and  Fannie 
(Eshleman)  Hertzler.  was  born  on  the 
family  homestead  in  Rapho  township, 
Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  Decem- 
ber 16,  1856.  and  was  educated  in  the 
9«5 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


schools  of  the  neighborhood.  He  discon- 
tinued his  studies  at  the  early  age  of  six- 
teen years,  entering  the  private  banking 
house  of  Samuel  Eby,  of  Elizabethtown, 
Pennsylvania,  and  there  remained  until 
1880.  In  the  following  year,  upon  the 
organization  of  the  Fulton  National 
Bank,  of  Lancaster,  he  was  offered  the 
position  of  paying  teller,  and,  accepting 
this  office,  was  associated  with  the  insti- 
tution until  1887,  being  in  the  meantime 
raised  to  the  rank  of  cashier.  In  the  lat- 
ter year  he  resigned  from  the  service  of 
the  Fulton  National  Bank  and  went  west 
to  Minneapolis,  Minnesota,  there  enter- 
ing business  as  treasurer  of  the  North- 
western Milling  Company,  at  the  end  of 
two  years  disposing  of  his  interests  in 
this  locality  and  returning  to  Lancaster, 
Pennsylvania.  He  at  once  assumed  duties 
as  treasurer  of  the  Lancaster  Trust  Com- 
pany, newly  organized  in  1889.  For  the 
following  ten  years  Mr.  Hertzler  was 
thus  connected  with  this  company,  and 
upon  the  death  of  the  president,  John  I. 
Hartman,  December  26,  1899,  Mr.  Hertz- 
ler was  the  choice  of  his  fellow  directors 
for  the  presidency,  which  responsible 
oftice  he  holds  to  this  time.  His  other 
business  interests  have  been  and  are 
many,  and  the  concerns  with  which  he 
has  been  identified  have  profited  by  his 
discerning  judgment  and  wise  foresight. 
For  many  years  he  was  president  of  the 
Hubley  Manufacturing  Company,  and  is 
now  president  of  the  .Star  Ball  Retainer 
Company ;  treasurer  and  director  of  the 
Bearings  Company  of  America ;  and  di- 
rector of  the  Lancaster  Gas,  Light  and 
Fuel  Company,  the  Edison  Electric  Com- 
pany of  Lancaster,  and  the  Columbia 
(Pennsylvania)  Gas  Company.  Mr. 
Hertzler  is  also  a  director  of  the  Lancas- 
ter County  Railway  and  Lighting  Com- 
pany, and  president  of  several  of  its  con- 
stituent lines.  He  has  shown  himself  a 
man  of  large  mental  calibre,  sufficiently 


broad  in  every  respect  for  his  wide  in- 
terests and  heavy  responsibility,  and 
when  he  has  been  closely  associated  with 
a  business  project  has  given  to  the  ven- 
ture standing  and  rating  because  of  his 
.  reputation  as  a  financier  and  business 
man  who  holds  integrity  and  honor  above 
material  gain.  The  Lancaster  Trust 
Company,  with  which  he  has  been  identi- 
fied longer  and  more  intimately  than  with 
the  majority  of  his  other  interests  re- 
flects in  its  firm  and  substantial  organi- 
zation the  wisdom  and  strength  of  his 
guiding  hand,  and  is  widely  known  as  an 
institution  managed  and  conducted  on 
the  soundest  of  business  principles. 

John  Hertzler  is  a  member  of  the  First 
Reformed  Church,  of  Lancaster,  holding 
in  its  organization  the  office  of  elder,  and 
is  a  liberal  contributor  to  funds  for  its 
current  expenses  and  beneficences.  In 
the  broader  fields  of  church  work  his  in- 
fluence is  also  felt.  He  is  treasurer  of 
the  board  of  education  of  the  Eastern 
Synod  of  the  Reformed  Church  in  the 
United  States,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
board  of  trustees  of  the  Theological  Sem- 
inary of  the  Reformed  church  in  the 
United  States,  also  being  treasurer  of  the 
latter  board,  and  discharges  his  duties  in 
connection  with  these  offices  faithfully 
and  well.  His  political  preferences  are 
Republican,  and  this  party  he  supports 
with  his  vote.  His  clubs  are  the  Hamil- 
ton and  Lancaster  Country,  of  Lancaster, 
and  the  Union  League,  of  Philadelphia. 

Mr.  Hertzler  married,  October  7,  1880, 
Emma,  daughter  of  Samuel  GrofT,  and 
has  children,  John  Walter,  Arthur  G., 
and  Emma. 


BRADFORD,  Thomas  Lindsley,  M.  D., 

Hom.oeopatliic    Practitioner   and  Historiaiv. 

Not  only  has  Dr.  Bradford  won  emi- 
nence  as    a    physician    and    specialist    in 
children's  diseases,  but  in  the  wide  field 
986 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  medical  literature  relating  to  HomcEO- 
pathy,  its  history,  bibliography  and  in- 
stitutions he  is  far  famed,  an  authority 
recognized  and  unquestioned.  His  liter- 
ary work,  which  began  to  appear  in  1892, 
has  been  constant  since  that  date  and 
has  been  carried  on  in  connection  with 
a  large  private  practice,  his  capacity  for 
work  seemingly  boundless.  He  located 
in  Philadelphia  in  1877,  and  since  then 
has  been  constantly  engaged  in  medical 
and  literary  work  in  this  city.  He  is  an 
honored  member  of  his  profession,  and  is 
known  not  less  for  his  profound  medical 
knowledge  than  for  his  ability  as  a  writer. 

Thomas  Lindsley  Bradford  was  born 
in  Francestown,  New  Hampshire,  June 
6,  1847,  son  of  Thomas  Bixby  and  Emily 
Hutchinson  (Brown)  Bradford.  The 
family  from  which  he  descends  is  one  of 
the  most  distinguished  in  the  early  colo- 
nial history  of  Massachusetts,  in  fact,  the 
family  record  from  the  establishment  of 
the  Pilgrims  in  Holland  in  1608  to  the 
year  1657  includes  a  great  part  of  the 
history  of  the  Pilgrim  colony  in  New 
England. 

Dr.  Bradford  was  early  educated  in 
private  schools  and  academies  of  Fran- 
cestown and  at  Phillips  Academy,  An- 
dover,  Massachusetts,  beginning  the 
study  of  medicine  in  the  first  months  of 
1866.  The  same  year  he  attended  a 
course  of  medical  lectures  at  Harvard, 
but  becoming  impressed  with  the  value 
of  the  Homoeopathic  school  of  medicine 
entered,  in  1867,  the  Homoeopathic  Med- 
ical College  of  Pennsylvania  at  Philadel- 
phia. He  was  there  graduated  Doctor  of 
Medicine,  class  of  '69,  then  located  for 
practice  at  Skowhegan,  Maine,  being  at 
that  time  the  only  practitioner  of  homoeo- 
pathy in  the  entire  county  of  Somerset. 
He  built  up  a  good  practice,  remaining 
in  Skowhegan  until  1877,  but  during  the 
winter  of  1872  spent  several  months  in 
.<?tudy  in  Europe.     In  the  spring  of  1877 


he  was  called  to  the  management  of  the 
Children's  Homoeopathic  Hospital  in 
Philadelphia,  remaining  the  head  of  that 
institution  for  one  year.  He  then  toured 
the  West  extensively,  afterward  return- 
ing to  Philadelphia,  which  city  has  since 
been  the  scene  of  his  activities,  his  spe- 
cialty being  diseases  of  children.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  American  Institute  of 
Homoeopathy,  the  Pennsylvania  Homoeo- 
pathic Medical  Society,  and  the  Philadel- 
phia County  Homoeopathic  Society,  hold- 
ing a  high  place  in  the  regard  of  his 
professional  brethren  of  these  societies. 

Dr.  Bradford  spent  many  years  collect- 
ing data  concerning  the  early  history  of 
Homoeopathy  in  the  United  States,  and 
in  1S92  published  "A  Homoeopathic  Bibli- 
ography of  the  United  States  from  the 
Years  1825  to  1891."  This  work  was  one 
of  the  highest  value,  giving  as  it  did  con- 
densed statements,  data,  and  histories  of 
the  various  homoeopathic  societies,  col- 
leges, hospitals,  homes,  dispensaries, 
pharmacies,  publishers,  directories,  legis- 
lative laws  on  Homoeopathy,  the  princi- 
pal books  written  against  its  principles, 
and  a  list  of  homoeopathic  libraries  at 
any  time  extant  in  the  United  States.  In 
1895  he  published  "The  Life  and  Letters 
of  Samuel  Hahnemann,"  followed  in  1897 
by  "Pioneers  in  Homoeopathy."  In  1898 
he  published  a  "History  of  Hahnemann 
Medical  College  and  Hospital  of  Phila- 
delphia," and  in  the  same  year  "Quiz 
Questions  on  the  History  of  Medicine" 
and  a  "History  of  the  Homoeopathic  Med- 
ical College  of  Pennsylvania."  In  1900 
there  appeared  from  his  able  and  prolific 
pen  "The  Logic  of  Figures,  or  Compara- 
tive Results  of  Homoeopathic  and  Other 
Treatments,"  followed  in  1901  by  "An 
Index  of  Provings."  In  1905  his  "His- 
tory of  Homoeopathy  and  its  Institutions 
in  the  United  States"  came  from  the 
press,  and  in  1912  a  revised  edition  of  the 
"Autobiography  of  a  Baby."  In  addi- 
987 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


tion  to  this  original  work  Dr.  Bradford 
is  the  compiler  of  "Bibliographer's  Man- 
ual of  American  History"  (1907-1910  in 
five  volumes),  and  "The  Lesser  Writings 
of  C.  M.  von  Boenninghausen"  (igo8). 
His  library  is  one  of  great  value,  espe- 
cially rich  in  the  early  Homoeopathic 
w^orks  and  in  the  old  and  rare  books  that 
have  been  published  on  Homoeopathy  in 
America,  Germany  and  France.  His  col- 
lection of  prints,  letters,  and  documents 
relating  to  Homoeopathy  is  also  very 
large.  These,  in  addition  to  the  library 
of  Hahnemann  College,  form  a  rare  and 
valuable  collection,  over  which  Dr.  Brad- 
ford is  the  official  college  librarian,  an 
office  he  has  held  for  many  years.  While 
medicine  and  literature  have  been  his 
constant  pursuits  the  doctor  has  a  warm 
social  nature  and  has  for  many  years 
been  in  closest  association  with  the  Ma- 
sonic order  and  its  varied  bodies,  and  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows.  In  political  faith  he  is 
a  Republican. 

Dr.  Bradford  married,  June  15,  1887, 
Eliza  Virginia  Hough,  of  Williamsport. 
Pennsylvania,  and  now  resides  at  No. 
1862  Frankford  avenue. 


HEAD,  Judge  John  B., 

La-wyer,    Jurist. 

Among  those  whose  lives  and  labors 
confer  honor  and  distinction  on  the  State 
of  Pennsylvania  is  Judge  John  B.  Head,  of 
Greensburg,  Westmoreland  county,  who 
is  of  English  descent. 

William  B.  Head,  the  great-grandfather 
of  Judge  Head,  was  born  in  the  northern 
part  of  what  is  now  the  State  of  Virginia. 
Subsequently  he  removed  to  Frederick 
county,  Maryland,  where  he  was  engaged 
in  agricultural  pursuits  for  many  years. 
He  was  an  active  participant  in  the  War 
of  the  Revolution,  and  is  buried  near  his 
home. 


John  Head,  son  of  William,  B.  Head, 
was  born  in  Frederick  count}',  Maryland, 
and  died  in  1838,  near  Youngstown,  West- 
moreland covinty,  Pennsylvania.  He  re- 
moved to  Youngstown  in  1836,  and  he 
and  his  wife  are  buried  in  the  Catholic 
Cemetery  near  Latrobe.  Mr.  Head  mar- 
ried Sophia  Greene,  of  Maryland,  and 
they  had  eight  children. 

William  S.  Head,  eldest  son  of  John 
and  Sophia  (Greene)  Head,  was  born  on 
the  homestead  farm  in  Frederick  county, 
Maryland,  in  August,  1823,  and  died  in 
Latrobe,  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, February  7,  1896.  He  was  a  young 
lad  when  the  family  removed  to  Penn- 
sylvania, and  received  his  education  in 
country  schools.  In  1852  he  removed  to 
the  new  railroad  station  of  Latrobe,  and 
erected  the  first  house  in  that  town.  Later 
he  erected  warehouses,  in  order  to  carry 
on  his  constantly  increasing  business,  and 
was  identified  with  the  town  almost  all  of 
his  life.  In  association  with  his  brother 
Joseph  he  opened  a  private  bank  in  La- 
trobe in  1873,  and  when  his  brother  died 
two  years  later  he  admitted  his  son,  John 
B.,  to  partnership,  changing  the  firm  name 
to  read  W.  S.  Head  &  Son.  This  bank 
was  chartered  as  the  First  National  Bank 
of  Latrobe  in  1888,  Mr.  Head  becoming 
president  of  this  corporation,  and  remain- 
ing in  office  until  his  death.  He  was  a 
Democrat  in  political  opinion,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Roman  Catholic  church.  Mr. 
Head  married,  in  1848,  Sarah  Coulter,  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania,  of  Scotch-Irish 
ancestry,  daughter  of  Joseph  and  Mary 
(Wilson)  Coulter,  and  granddaughter  of 
Joseph  Coulter.  They  had  children : 
Mary,  married  W.  A.  Johnston,  of  La- 
trobe ;  John  B.,  the  subject  of  this  sketch ; 
Joseph  C,  who  has  won  an  enviable  repu- 
tation in  the  world  of  finance ;  William ; 
Richard  ;  Raymond  ;  Harriet,  who  joined 
the  Benedictine  order;  Julia,  who  joined 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  Order  of  Mercy;  two  who  died  in 
infancy. 

Judge  John  B.  Head  was  born  at  La- 
trobe,  Pennsylvania,  April  4,  1855,  and 
was  a  pupil  in  the  parochial  schools  until 
he  had  attained  the  age  of  thirteen  years. 
He  then  matriculated  at  Mt.  St.  Mary's 
College,  Maryland,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  with  honor  in  1873.  His  con- 
nection with  the  banking  institution 
organized  by  his  father  and  uncle  has 
been  related  above.  The  legal  profession 
had  always  had  a  peculiar  fascination  for 
him,  and  he  commenced  reading  law  in 
1878  in  the  office  of  A.  A.  Stewart,  Esq., 
of  Greensburg,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  of  Westmoreland  county  in  1880.  He 
at  once  became  associated  in  a  legal  part- 
nership with  the  late  Hon.  H.  P.  Laird, 
and  when  this  was  dissolved  associated 
himself  in  a  similar  relation  with  James 
S.  Moorehead,  which  becam,e  one  of  the 
most  important  legal  firms  of  the  county. 
In  1905  Mr.  Head  was  nominated  by  the 
Democratic  State  Convention  at  Harris- 
burg  for  the  office  of  Judge  of  the  Su- 
perior Court,  and  was  elected  the  follow- 
ing November. 

Judge  Head  married.  May  2,  1877,  Na- 
omi, a  daughter  of  Morris  and  Margaret 
Jones,  formerly  of  Pittsburgh. 


GIVEN,  William  B., 

Lawyer,   Man   of   Large    Affairs. 

Mr.  Given  is  the  third  of  his  line  to 
hold  residence  in  Columbia,  Lancaster 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  to  occupy  a 
prominent  and  important  place  in  the 
business  and  public  life  of  the  city  and 
locality.  That  his  present  position  sur- 
passes those  of  his  father  and  grandfather 
in  influence  in  no  way  casts  unfavorable 
light  upon  those  representatives  of  former 
generations  of  the  family  of  Given,  but 
has  its  explanation  in  the  difference  of 
times  and  conditions  in  which  they  were 


placed.  Schooled  in  the  law  and  attain- 
ing to  success  in  that  profession,  from 
that  calling  Mr.  Given  made  his  entrance 
into  public  life,  and  until  1896  was  an 
ardent  and  active  worker  in  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  thoroughly  in  sympathy  with 
its  best  principles  and  striving  always  for 
their  propagation.  Since  that  year  he  has 
devoted  his  time  and  attention  to  profes- 
sional and  business  interests,  and  in  busi- 
ness has  created  a  record  that  is  a  fit 
companion  for  the  success  of  his  profes- 
sional and  business  career.  Traction  and 
power  companies  in  his  native  county 
have  felt  the  influence  of  his  direction, 
and  in  the  organization  of  several  light- 
ing companies,  gas  and  electric,  he  played 
a  leading  part.  At  this  time  telephone 
operations  are  his  chief  concern,  and  as 
president  of  the  Consolidated  Telephone 
Company  of  Pennsylvania  and  of  the 
Telephone  Securities  Company  he  exer- 
cises no  small  power  in  this  field.  Mr. 
Given  has  been  almost  continuously  iden- 
tified with  business  operations  of  size 
and  importance,  and  has  led  and  aided  in 
the  organization  and  promotion  of  insti- 
tutions now  leaders  in  their  various  lines, 
examples  of  which  are  numerous  through- 
out his  active  career.  He  is  a  citizen  of 
Columbia,  in  whose  achievements,  as  a 
native,  Columbia  may  well  take  pride, 
and  in  fealty  and  devotion  to  his  birth- 
place, his  State,  or  his  friends,  he  has 
never  failed. 

William  B.  Given  is  a  descendant  of 
Scotch-Irish  ancestry,  his  family  founded 
in  the  United  States  by  his  grandfather, 
James  Given,  a  native  of  Ireland,  who, 
upon  first  coming  to  this  country,  settled 
in  Chester  county,  Pennsylvania.  He 
afterward  moved  to  Lancaster  county, 
making  his  home  in  Columbia,  and  there 
engaged  in  lumbering.  In  this  line  he 
prospered,  wisely  invested  his  means,  and 
became  the  possessor  of  a  considerable 
fortune.     He  was  a  leading  Democrat  of 


1989 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


his  community,  and  during  his  success- 
ful life  enjoyed  the  regard  and  liking  of 
many  friends.  He  belonged  to  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  church,  and  through  his 
identification  with  this  denomination  par- 
ticipated in  all  its  good  works,  contribut- 
ing generously  to  its  beneficences.  He 
and  his  wife,  a  Miss  Mercer,  were  the 
parents  of  eight  children. 

William  P.,  son  of  James  and  father  of 
William  B.  Given,  was  born  near  Down- 
ingtown,  Chester  county,  Pennsylvania, 
January  20,  1813,  and  when  he  was  three 
years  of  age  came  to  Columbia  with  his 
parents.  In  this  place  he  grew  to  manhood, 
was  educated,  and  here  succeeded  to  his 
father's  business  interests,  from  which  he 
retired  quite  early  in  life.  Among  his 
business  connections  in  Columbia  were 
memberships  in  the  boards  of  directors 
of  the  Columbia  National  Bank  and  the 
Columbia  Bridge  Company,  and  after  his 
retirement  in  1859  he  purchased  a  farm 
near  Baltimore,  Maryland,  upon  which 
he  resided  until  his  death  in  1862.  His 
religious  and  political  beliefs  coincided 
with  those  of  his  father,  and  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church,  and  of  Democratic  sympathies. 
William  F.  Given  married,  October  21, 
1851,  Susan  A.,  daughter  of  Rev.  Wil- 
liam Barns,  of  Philadelphia,  and  had  chil- 
dren: Laura,  William  B.,  of  whom  fur- 
ther; Mercer,  Frank  S.  and  Martha  W. 

William  B.  Given,  son  of  William  F. 
and  Susan  A.  (Barns)  Given,  was  born 
in  Columbia,  Lancaster  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, September  23,  1854.  His  parents 
moving  soon  afterward  to  their  farm  near 
Baltimore,  Maryland,  it  was  in  the  public 
schools  of  that  city  that  his  education  was 
begun,  his  studies  continued  in  Saunders 
Institute,  Philadelphia,  and  the  Univer- 
sity of  Michigan.  From  the  Ann  Arbor 
institution  he  was  graduated  in  the  class 
of    1875,   when   a   young   man   of   twenty 


years,  and  at  once  chose  the  law  as  his 
profession,  beginning  his  legal  prepara- 
tion in  the  ofifice  of  Hon.  Vincent  Brad- 
ford and  E.  Ray,  of  Philadelphia,  com- 
pleting the  same  under  the  preceptorship 
of  Hon.  H.  M.  North,  of  Columbia.  He 
obtained  admission  to  the  bar  in  1876, 
and  began  practice  in  Columbia,  rapidly 
gaining  in  ability  and  influence  in  his  pro- 
fession, extending  his  practice  to  all  of 
the  State  and  Federal  courts  of  his  dis- 
trict, and  appearing  in  the  Supreme  Court 
of  Pennsylvania  and  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  United  States.  For  nine  years  Mr. 
Given  was  a  member  of  the  Columbia 
school  board,  for  two  years  of  that  time 
as  president.  In  the  year  following  his 
establishment  in  legal  work  he  became 
the  candidate  of  his  party,  the  Demo- 
cratic, for  the  office  of  district  attorney, 
five  years  afterward  appearing  as  the 
Democratic  Congressional  nominee,  but 
on  both  occasions  was  unable  to  over- 
come the  large  majority  that  had  always 
belonged  to  the  Republican  party.  For 
several  years  he  was  a  member  of  the 
State  Democratic  Committee,  and  in  1892 
was  a  delegate  to  the  National  Demo- 
cratic Convention  that  nominated  Grover 
Cleveland  for  the  presidency.  In  1896  he 
was  chairman  of  the  State  Convention 
that  convened  at  Allentown,  and  upon 
taking  the  chair  took  a  decided  and  effec- 
tive stand  for  "sound  money,"  vigorously 
advocating  a  monetary  system  of  stabil- 
ity and  recognized  permanence.  His  well 
known  position  on  this  subject  made  him 
a  delegate  to  the  National  Convention  of 
1896,  where  he  was  again  a  tireless  advo- 
cate of  "sound  money,"  and  upon  his  re- 
turn to  Pennsylvania  he  assisted  in  the  re- 
organization of  the  "sound  money"  Dem- 
ocratic movement,  subsequently  serving 
as  a  delegate  to  the  convention  at  Indian- 
apolis, and  State  chairman  of  that  party 
in  the  following  campaign.  Since  1896 
990 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Mr.  Given  has  taken  no  part  in  politics, 
but  in  1900  cast  his  vote  for  William  Mc- 
Kinley. 

The  Lancaster  County  Electric  Rail- 
ways and  Lighting  Company  is  largely 
the  result  of  Mr.  Given's  organizing  abil- 
ity, this  company  now  controlling  all 
street  railways  in  Lancaster  county,  and 
he  also  assisted  in  organizing  the  Colum- 
bia and  Lancaster  Electric  Light  Com- 
panies. He  resigned  the  presidencies  of 
these  corporations  in  1906,  leaving  the 
companies  in  flourishing  and  expanding 
condition,  and  participated  in  the  organ- 
ization of  the  American  Laundry  Machin- 
ery Company,  a  concern  which  controlled 
all  the  laundry  machinery  manufacturing 
plants  in  the  United  States,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  those  located  in  Troy,  New 
York.  The  headquarters  of  this  company 
were  in  Chicago,  Illinois,  and  during  Mr. 
Given's  occupancy  of  the  offices  of  treas- 
urer and  general  solicitor  he  resided  in 
that  city.  He  is  now  president  of  the  Con- 
solidated Telephone  Company  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, whose  headquarters  are  at  Hazle- 
ton,  Pennsylvania,  and  is  also  president 
of  the  Telephone  Securities  Company, 
whose  offices  are  at  No.  60  Broadway, 
New  York  City,  and  was  one  of  the  organ- 
izers and  first  president  of  the  Columbia 
Trust  Company,  Columbia,  Pennsylvania. 

Mr.  Given's  lifetime  of  activity  has 
been  productive  of  results,  and  the  insti- 
tutions in  whose  founding  he  took  such  a 
conspicuous  part  have  been  boons  of  in- 
expressible value  to  Lancaster  county. 
While  still  most  strenuously  active  in  the 
business  world,  and  while  wielding  a  po- 
tent influence  in  many  circles,  he  can 
review  a  past  spent  in  association  with 
large  enterprises  successfully  consum- 
mated and  feel  nothing  but  satisfaction 
in  his  connection  therewith.  His  repu- 
tation is  that  of  a  professional  and  busi- 
ness man  who  has  adhered,  in  word  and 
action,  to  principles  of  right  and  truth, 


and  it  is  as  such  that  he  is  universally 
regarded.  Mr.  Given  is  a  member  of  the 
University  of  Chicago  Club,  the  Art  Club 
of  Philadelphia,  the  Westmoreland  Club 
of  Wilkes-Barre,  and  the  Lancaster 
County  Country  Club  of  Lancaster. 

William  B.  Given  married,  September 
5,  1878,  Mary  E.,  daughter  of  Abraham 
Bruner,  and  has  three  daughters  and  one 
son,  Erna  B.,  Jane  Bruner,  William 
Barns  and  Susan  Emily.  His  son,  Wil- 
liam Barns  Given,  was  born  in  Columbia, 
Pennsylvania,  December  7,  1886,  and  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Colum- 
bia, Hill  School,  at  Pottstown,  and  Yale 
University,  whence  he  was  graduated 
class  of  1908.  He  is  now  associated  with 
the  American  Brake  Shoe  and  Foundry 
Company,  of  New  York,  and  is  secretary 
of  the  Hale  and  Kilburn  Company,  of 
Philadelphia.  His  clubs  are  the  Univer- 
sity of  Chicago,  Illinois,  and  Yale  of 
New  York. 


CARSON,  Hampton  L., 

Distinguished  Zjawyer,   Iiitieratenr. 

From  Scotland,  after  a  residence  in 
County  Antrim,  Ireland,  came  to  Phila- 
delphia in  1759,  the  forbears  of  Hampton 
L.  Carson,  of  Philadelphia,  now  and  for 
many  years  a  conspicuous  figure  in  State 
and  national  life.  His  maternal  descent 
is  from  Henry  Hollingsworth,  a  deputy 
surveyor  under  William  Penn.  This  line 
is  traced  to  England  and  Wales. 

Mr.  Carson  is  of  the  fourth  American 
generation  of  Carsons :  Joseph  (i),  the 
emigrant,  Joseph  (2),  and  Dr.  Joseph 
(3)  Carson,  being  the  heads  of  the  in- 
tervening generations. 

Hampton  Lawrence  Carson  was  born 
in  Philadelphia,  February  21,  1852,  son 
of  Dr.  Joseph  and  Mary  (Hollingsworth) 
Carson.  His  early  and  preparatory  edu- 
cation was  obtained  in  the  famous  boys' 
school   presided   over  by   Rev.  John  W. 


1991 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Faires.  In  1867  he  entered  the  Univer- 
sity of  Pennsylvania,  with  which  his  dis- 
tinguished father  (class  of  1826)  had 
been  intimately  associated  as  professor 
of  materia  medica,  in  the  medical  depart- 
ment. He  chose  the  department  of  arts 
for  his  course,  and.  after  a  brilliant  college 
career,  was  graduated  B.  A.,  class  of  1871, 
He  was  awarded  the  freshman  declam- 
ation prize,  equally  with  Herbert  Welsh ; 
as  a  sophomore,  he  won  the  sophomore 
declamation  ;  also  the  junior  English,  ana 
the  alumni  junior  declamation  prizes, 
and  was  class  historian.  Deciding  upon 
the  legal  profession,  he  entered  the  office 
of  William  M.  Tilghman,  Esq.,  and  also 
the  law  school  of  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania, whence  he  was  graduated  LL. 
B.  and  M.  A.,  class  of  1874.  He  was 
admitted  to  the  Philadelphia  bar,  April 
4,  1874,  and  at  once  began  the  practice 
of  his  profession  as  junior  of  the  law  firm 
Redding,  Jones  &  Carson. 

He  was  later  admitted  to  the  Superior 
and  Supreme  Courts  of  Pennsylvania,  to 
the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States 
on  motion  of  William  H.  Taft,  then  So- 
licitor General,  and  to  the  Federal  courts 
of  his  circuit.  He  rapidly  grew  in  promi- 
nence in  legal  circles,  and,  after  some 
changes  in  the  personnel  of  the  firm  with 
which  he  was  connected,  withdrew,  and 
began  practice  under  his  own  name.  He 
acquired  an  influential  clientele,  and  as 
counsel  in  many  important  cases  soon  be- 
came a  State  figure.  As  professional  suc- 
cess came,  political  honor  was  also  tend- 
ered him  by  his  Philadelphia  friends,  but 
he  steadfastly  refused  all  ofifers,  and  con- 
tinued his  law  practice.  He  now  became 
very  much  in  demand  and  could  only  give 
personal  attention  to  cases  of  greater  im- 
portance. He  argued  cases  before  the 
Supreme  Courts  of  Pennsylvania,  New 
Jersey,  Maryland  and  other  states,  in- 
volving questions  of  deepest  moment  and 
carried   them  to  final  decision.     One  of 


these  involved  legal  issues  never  before 
brought  before  the  United  States  Su- 
preme Court,  and,  as  the  first  to  be  de- 
cided, became  a  leading  case  of  record. 

The  importance  of  his  legal  work  had 
now  brought  him  into  national  promi- 
nence, and  he  argued,  before  the  commit- 
tee on  elections  of  the  United  States  Sen- 
ate, against  the  right  of  the  Governor  of 
a  State  to  make  an  appointment  to  a  va- 
cancy arising  during  a  session  of  the  leg- 
islature. In  this  he  was  successful.  As 
leading  counsel  before  the  United  States 
Supreme  Court  in  the  Lone  Wolf  case, 
involving  the  rights  of  Indians  in  Okla- 
homa, he  was  brought  prominently  be- 
fore the  American  people,  who  have  since 
followed  his  career  with  deepest  interest. 
He  delivered  many  speeches  and  ad- 
dresses that  were  reported  in  full  in  the 
daily  papers  and  later  printed  and  pre- 
served in  permanent  form.  He  was  spe- 
cial representative  of  the  American  Bar 
Association  at  the  meeting  of  the  Eng- 
lish and  French  bars  at  Montreal,  Can- 
ada, in  1901,  and  an  invited  speaker  be- 
fore the  bench  and  bar  of  England — at 
the  banquet  in  London  given  in  honor 
of  the  great  French  advocate  Labori, 
counsel  for  the  defense  in  the  Dreyfus 
case. 

From  1895  to  1901  he  was  Professor 
of  Law  at  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. He  had  developed  the  art  and 
graces  of  the  polished  orator,  and  was 
regarded  as  one  of  America's  most  dis- 
tinguished and  eloquent  orators.  To  this 
reputation  of  his  earlier  years,  he  has 
added  the  wisdom  of  maturer  years  and 
greater  exoerience.  until  he  stands  today 
without  a  superior  in  the  realm  of  legal 
attainment,  or  oratory.  In  1903  he  ac- 
cepted, from  Governor  Samuel  W. 
Pennypacker,  the  position  of  Attorney 
General  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania, 
continuing  in  that  high  office  until  1907. 
While  Attorney  General,  he  wrote  over 
992 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


five  hundred  opinions,  while  his  argu- 
ments before  the  Supreme  Courts  of  the 
United  States  and  Pennsylvania,  fill  thir- 
ty-two volumes. 

Notwithstanding  his  profound  knowl- 
edge of  law,  he  never  goes  before  a  court 
without  special  preparation  for  each  par- 
ticular case.  With  this  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  his  subject,  and  of  the  legal 
principle  involved,  his  addresses  to  the 
court  are  models  of  clearness  and  con- 
vincing logic.  Himself  called  "Our  legal 
encyclopedia,"  he  thoroughly  examines 
any  close  legal  point  involved  and  con- 
sults every  authority,  before  trusting  his 
case  to  argument.  He  does  not  depend 
upon  oratory  to  win  decisions,  but  with 
his  profound  knowledge  of  all  law,  his 
special  preparation  for  that  case,  and  his 
wonderful  eloquence,  all  combined,  he 
seldom  goes  down  to  defeat. 

With  professional  duties  bearing  heav- 
ily upon  him,  Mr.  Carson  has  not  neg- 
lected the  duties  of  citizenship,  but  has 
been  a  close  student  of  political  prob- 
lems, and  fought  from  the  forum  many 
of  the  historic  political  conflicts  of  his 
State  and  nation.  His  public  speeches, 
addresses  and  law  articles  cover  a  very 
wide  range  of  thought  embracing  sub- 
jects, legal,  historical,  political,  scientific 
and  patriotic,  including  reviews  of  the 
laws  of  our  country  from  William  Penn ; 
reports  of  celebrated  legal  cases ;  contri- 
butions to  legal  and  historical  magazines ; 
biographies  of  great  lawyers,  statesmen 
and  heroes ;  political  speeches  and  argu- 
ments in  cases  of  national  interest.  They 
have  been  delivered  before  supreme 
courts,  trial  courts,  historical  societies, 
political  societies,  universities,  bar  asso- 
ciations, scientific  societies,  public  gath- 
erings, banqueting  bodies  and  the  United 
States  Senate.  They  have  been  published 
in  book  form  in  the  "Legal  Intelligencer," 
the  "Green  Bag,"  daily  papers,  magazines, 
and  in  pamphlets.     His  oration  on  "The 


Real  Greatness  of  Abraham  Lincoln"  was 
delivered  before  the  Union  League  of 
Philadelphia,  and  his  "Character  of  Grant 
and  his  Place  in  History"  in  the  Acad- 
emy of  Music  in  the  same  city.  Outside 
his  own  State  he  has  delivered  many  his- 
torical addresses,  and  his  is  a  familiar 
figure  before  the  students  of  many  of  our 
universities,  colleges  and  high  schools. 

To  adequately  cover  the  detail  of  his 
busy  life  would  require  a  volume,  but 
enough  is  here  shown  to  convey  some 
idea  of  the  scope  of  his  activity  and  the 
measure  of  his  achievement.  To  thor- 
oughly understand  what  his  success  real- 
ly means,  one  must  remember  that  Mr. 
Carson  is  still  but  little,  if  any,  past  the 
prime  of  life.  When  this  is  regarded, 
one  may  leave  all  thought  of  his  intel- 
lectuality and  gift  of  oratory,  and  readily 
see  that  the  mainspring  of  his  success 
is  not  those  God-given  talents,  but  his 
immense  capacity  for  work,  work,  and 
still  more  work.  Talented  though  he  be, 
nothing  but  hard  work  could  have  placed 
him  in  the  proud  position  he  occupies  at 
the  bar  and  on  the  forum.  The  lesson 
his  life  teaches  to  the  young  man,  is  the 
value  of  properly  directed  industry.  There 
is  no  royal  road  to  success.  Hope  is  of 
the  valley,  but  success  lies  in  climbing 
the  mountain  side. 

There  are  other  phases  of  his  life  that 
are  worthy  of  particular  mention,  nota- 
bly his  work  in  the  field  of  literature  out- 
side his  written  opinions,  addresses  and 
historical  contributions.  He  is  the  author 
of  "Law  and  Criminal  Conspiracies  as 
Found  in  American  Cases,"  which  has 
been  accepted  as  an  authority  in  nearly 
every  State  of  the  Union ;  "A  History  of 
the  Celebration  of  the  One  Hundredth 
Anniversary  of  the  Promulgation  of  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States,"  two 
volumes ;  and  he  now  has  in  course  of 
preparation  a  life  of  Lord  Mansfield  and 
a  "History  of  the  Supreme  Court  of 
993 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Pennsylvania."  He  has  for  thirty  years 
been  collecting  the  material,  and  has  a 
collection  of  legal  portraits,  documents 
and  autograph  letters,  which  include 
twelve  thousand  portraits  and  six  thou- 
sand volumes  of  law  history.  He  has  also 
more  original  documents  and  letters  from 
the  pen  of  William  Blackstone,  than  any 
other  collector  in  England  or  America, 
including  the  original  appointment  of 
Blackstone  as  judge  by  King  George  III. 
Other  documents  of  great  value  are  found 
in  his  collection. 

Before  the  Pennsylvania  Bar  Associa- 
tion, June  29,  1910,  he  read  a  paper  en- 
titled "The  Genesis  of  Blackstone's  Com- 
mentaries and  Their  Place  in  Legal  Liter- 
ature." In  this  he  completely  reviewed 
Blackstone's  methods  of  writing,  citing 
the  long  list  of  books  from  which  he  drew 
his  materials ;  spoke  of  the  criticism  fav- 
orable and  unfavorable  with  which  the 
work  of  the  master  was  received,  includ- 
ing the  charge  that,  "It  was  intelligible 
and  that  any  lawyer  who  wrote  so  clearly 
was  an  enemy  to  his  profession."  Clos- 
ing his  review  of  the  work  that  Black- 
stone did,  Mr.  Carson  said:  "This  then 
was  his  work,  transcendent  in  its  results 
as  well  as  marvelous  in  its  beauty.  It 
must  always  be  reckoned  with  by  any 
historical  student  of  the  development  of 
the  law  *  *  *  By  us  it  must  not  be 
forgotten  that  we  owe  a  debt  to  Black- 
stone which  is  not  simply  sentimental 
and  historical  but  substantial  *  *  *  j^ 
crowded  cities,  in  prairie  villages,  in 
mountain  hamlets,  in  the  depth  of  the 
forests,  and  by  the  shores  of  the  Great 
Lakes,  or  by  the  banks  of  our  teeming 
rivers,  the  great  commentator  has  been 
omnipresent  *  *  *  In  nine  hundred  years, 
but  six  names  appear  as  the  real  masters 
in  authorship  of  the  English  law — Glan- 
vil,  Bracton,  Littleton,  Coke,  Hale,  and 
Blackstone." 

Mr.   Carson   is  a  great  traveler,   eight 


times  he  has  crossed  the  ocean,  and  he 
is  almost  as  familiar  with  Europe  as  with 
his  own  land,  and  that  he  has  toured 
thoroughly.  He  is  an  ardent  lover  of 
nature,  and  takes  his  recreation  out  of 
doors,  his  favorite  relaxation  being  horse- 
back riding.  His  social  clubs  are  the 
Philadelphia,  the  Union  League,  the  Uni- 
versity, Manufacturers,  Franklin  Inn,  and 
Triplets.  His  literary  and  scientific  so- 
cieties are  the  Wistar,  American  Philo- 
sophical, American  Historical,  Swedish 
Historical,  The  Historical  Society  of 
Pennsylvania,  of  which  he  is  vice-presi- 
dent, and  the  Pennsylvania  Society  Sons 
of  the  Revolution.  His  legal  clubs  are 
the  Philadelphia  Law  Association,  of 
which  he  is  chancellor,  Pennsylvania 
State  Bar,  and  the  American  Bar  Asso- 
ciations, the  Legal  Club,  and  the  Law- 
yers' Club. 

In  political  life  he  has  always  been  a 
Republican.  He  was  active  in  the  re- 
form movement  in  Philadelphia  in  1880, 
and  as  a  member  of  the  Anti-Third  Term 
League,  made  a  speech  at  the  Chicago 
Convention,  opposing  the  nomination  of 
President  Grant  for  a  third  term.  He  is 
a  member  of  St.  Peter's  Episcopal  Church 
at  Third  and  Pine  streets,  Philadelphia, 
with  which  he  has  long  been  connected. 

He  married,  in  April,  1880,  Anna  Lea 
Baker,  daughter  of  John  R.  and  Anna 
(Lea)  Baker,  of  Philadelphia.  Children: 
Joseph  (4)  Carson,  an  attorney  of  the 
Philadelphia  bar,  associated  with  his 
father  in  business ;  Hope,  wife  of  Evan 
Randolph;  John  B.,  a  physician;  Anna 
Hampton. 


GRUBB,  Clement  B., 

Prominent   Ironmaster  and   Financier. 

To  do  honor  to  those  of  worthy  life 

who  have  passed  from  the  scenes  of  their 

achievement    and    activity    is    always    a 

pleasing  task  to  the  biographer,  and  in 

994 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF   BIOGRAPHY 


no  instance  can  such  recognition  be  bet- 
ter placed  than  in  a  brief  review  of  the 
career  and  antecedents  of  Clement  B. 
Grubb,  the  well-known  financier  and 
business  man  of  Lancaster.  He  was  a 
member  of  an  English  family  founded  in 
the  Pennsylvania  colony  by  John  Grubb, 
in  the  latter  years  of  the  seventeenth 
century,  and  which  since  the  second 
American  generation  has  been  prominent- 
ly identified  with  iron  ore  production  in 
the  State.  Important  public  position,  as 
well  as  leading  place  in  business,  has  fre- 
quently been  the  lot  of  members  of  the 
line  to  which  Clement  B.  Grubb  belonged, 
and  John  Grubb,  the  American  ancestor, 
was  twice  elected  to  the  Provincial  As- 
sembly, taking  active  part  in  the  deliber- 
ations of  that  legislative  body. 

In  the  person  of  Clement  B.  Grubb,  the 
English  family  was  ably  represented  in 
many  circles,  and  the  active  period  of  his 
long  life  of  seventy-four  years  was  filled 
with  interests  far-reaching  and  excellent 
in  result.  His  aim  was  far  from  the  at- 
tainment of  personal  prestige,  and  the 
material  success  that  came  to  him  was 
so  generously  administered  and  so  wisely 
used  that  many  were  sharers  in  his  good 
fortune.  For  twenty  years  he  filled  the 
presidency  of  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Lancaster,  guiding  the  affairs  of  that  in- 
stitution in  channels  safe  and  well  chart- 
ed, his  conservative,  rational  business 
methods  applied  to  finance  with  the  same 
success  that  attended  them  in  his  private 
dealings.  His  life  was  in  all  ways  up- 
right, and  the  length  of  his  days  gave 
full  opportunity  for  the  completion  of  a 
life  work  whose  benefits  were  widely  dis- 
tributed and  which  in  itself  was  a  ser- 
mon, strong  and  convincing,  beautiful  in 
simplicity,  on  brotherhood  and  fellow- 
ship. 

John  Grubb,  founder  of  the  line  of 
Clement  B.  Grubb,  sailed  from  England 
in  the  ship  "Kent,"  in  1669,  and  landed 

PEN— Vol  VI— n  I 


in  Delaware,  near  Wilmington,  in  which 
locality  he  received  a  grant  of  three  hun- 
dred and  forty  acres.  Grubb's  Landing, 
on  Chester  creek,  took  its  name  from 
him,  but  in  1703  he  left  that  locality  and 
made  his  home  in  Marcus  Hook,  Penn- 
sylvania. He  became  the  owner  of  large 
lands,  was  colonial  justice  in  1693,  and 
was  twice  elected  to  the  Colonial  As- 
sembly. Among  his  children  were  Sam- 
uel, and  Peter,  of  whom  further. 

Peter,  seventh  son  of  John  Grubb,  was 
the  discoverer  of  vast  and  valuable  de- 
posits of  iron  ore  in  Lebanon  county, 
Pc«nsylvania,  and  became  chief  owner  of 
the  rich  Cornwall  ore  hills,  the  Cornwall 
Furnace,  built  at  that  place,  one  of  the 
first  in  Pennsylvania,  being  still  in  profit- 
able operation.  Peter  Grubb  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Society  of  Friends,  and  in  1732 
married  (first)  Martha,  widow  of  James 
Wall,  who  died  in  1740,  (second)  Han- 
nah, widow  of  Theodore  Marshall.  By 
his  second  marriage  he  had  two  sons, 
Curtis  and  Peter  (2). 

Peter  (2),  son  of  Peter  (i)  Grubb  and 
his  second  wife,  Hannah  Marshall,  was 
born  in  Cornwall,  Pennsylvania,  and  died 
in  1786,  at  Hopewell  Forge  (now  Speed- 
well), Pennsylvania.  From  early  man- 
hood he  was  an  iron  manufacturer,  and 
in  1784  bought  property  at  Mount  Hope, 
there  erecting  a  furnace  which  he  oper- 
ated during  his  active  years.  He  was  a 
soldier  in  the  Eighth  Pennsylvania  Bat- 
talion in  the  War  for  Independence.  He 
married,  in  1771,  Mary  Shippen  Burd, 
who  died  at  Hopewell  Forge,  in  1776, 
having  borne  him  children :  Alan  Burd, 
and  Henry  Bates,  of  whom  further. 

Henry  Bates,  son  of  Peter  and  Mary 
Shippen  (Burd)  Grubb,  was  born  at 
Hopewell  Forge,  Pennsylvania,  Febru- 
ary 6,  1774,  died  March  9,  1823.  Like  his 
father,  he  was  closely  connected  with  the 
iron  industry,  and  in  this  line  attained 
material  independence,  being  largely  in- 
995 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


terested  in  the  Mount  Hope,  Manada, 
Mount  Vernon,  and  Cadoros  furnaces. 
He  married,  June  i8,  1805,  Ann  Carson, 
who  died  in  October,  1806,  survived  by 
her  husband  and  one  son,  Henry.  Henry 
Bates  Grubb  married  a  second  time,  De- 
cember I,  1808,  Harriet  Amelia  Buckley, 
and  had  issue:  i.  Edward  B.,  married 
Euphemia  Parker ;  children  :  General  E. 
Burd,  United  States  Minister  to  Spain; 
Henry,  Charles  R.,  and  Euphemia.  2. 
Clement  B.,  of  whom  further.  3.  Mary 
Shippen,  married,  in  1845,  George  W. 
Parker,  their  daughter  Mary  marrying 
Hon.  William  Welsh,  United  States 
Minister  to  Italy.  4.  Sarah  Elizabeth, 
married  John  G.  Ogilvie,  of  Philadelphia, 
and  has  a  daughter,  Elizabeth,  who  mar- 
ried Dr.  Herbert  Morris,  of  Philadelphia, 
Pennsylvania.  5.  Alfred  Bates,  born  in 
1821,  died  in  1885;  married  Ellen  Far- 
num;  children:  Alfred  Bates,  Jr.,  Ellen, 
Anna  Newbold,  married  George  J.  Chet- 
wood ;  Mary  Elizabeth,  and  Rosalie,  mar- 
ried Charles  Grosholtz,  of  Philadelphia. 

Clement  B.  Grubb,  son  of  Henry  Bates 
and  Harriet  Amelia  (Buckley)  Grubb, 
was  born  at  Mount  Hope,  Pennsylvania, 
February  9,  1815,  and  died  at  Lancaster, 
Pennsylvania,  October  31,  1889.  He  was 
early  placed  under  the  tutelage  of  Dr. 
William  A.  Muhlenburg,  who  directed 
his  studies  until  his  entrance  to  the 
Franklin  Institute,  of  Philadelphia.  When 
seventeen  years  of  age  he  became  asso- 
ciated in  business  with  his  brother,  Ed- 
ward Burd  Grubb,  in  the  management 
and  operation  of  the  furnaces  at  Mount 
Hope,  Mount  Vernon,  Manada,  and  Ca- 
doros, and  the  St.  Charles  and  Henry 
Clay  furnaces  at  Columbia,  Pennsylvania, 
with  his  son,  Charles  B.  Grubb,  the  first 
four  charcoal,  the  latter  two  anthracite. 
Mr.  Grubb  became  sole  owner  of  the 
Chestnut  Hill  Ore  Bank,  and  prospered 
in  his  industrial  operations.  For  twenty 
years  he  was  president  of  the  First  I^a- 


tional  Bank  of  Lancaster,  a  financier  of 
foresight  and  judgment,  the  careful 
guardian  of  the  funds  of  the  bank's  in- 
vestors. He  was  a  staunch  Republican, 
a  loyal  believer  in  the  party's  principles, 
and  was  one  of  the  earliest  members  of 
the  Philadelphia  Union  League.  Mr. 
Grubb  was  confirmed  in  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  faith  by  Bishop  White,  and  be- 
came a  vestryman  of  St.  James'  Church 
of  that  denomination,  active  in  all  of  its 
works,  and  a  liberal  contributor  to  funds 
for  its  various  needs  and  projects.  The 
worth  of  his  life  and  the  fineness  of  his 
moral  fibre  bound  his  many  friends  to 
him  closely,  and  by  those  of  his  friends 
and  associates  who  survive  him  his 
memory  is  revered  and  honored,  for 
principles  of  right  were  his  daily  creed, 
and  his  impression  upon  his  day  ineradi- 
cable. 

Mr.  Grubb  married,  February  27,  1841, 
Mary,  daughter  of  Charles  and  Jane 
Barde  Brook,  her  father  a  successful 
ironmaster  of  Chester  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania. Children  of  Clement  B.  and  Mary 
(Brook)  Grubb:  i.  Harriet  B.,  married 
Stephen  B.  Irwin,  of  Philadelphia,  and 
has  a  son,  John  Heister.  2.  Charles 
Brook,  born  October  6,  1844,  died  Octo- 
ber 12,  191 1  ;  he  was  educated  in  Prince- 
ton University,  and  became  associated 
with  his  father  in  business,  upon  the 
death  of  the  elder  Grubb  succeeding  him 
in  the  direction  of  their  various  enter- 
prises. He  was  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
order,  and  belonged  to  St.  James'  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  Church.  3.  Mary  L. 
Brook,  married  Joseph  Bond  Beall,  of 
New  York ;  three  children :  Mary  Lilly ; 
Ethel  Grubb,  married  Dr.  George  Tucker 
Smith,  United  States  Navy,  where  fam- 
ily line  is  connected  with  that  of  George 
Washington,  and  has  one  son,  George 
Tucker  Smith,  Jr.;  Florence  Bell.  4. 
Ella  Jane,  married  Colonel  L.  Heber 
Smith,  deceased,  of  Joanna,  Pennsyl- 
996 


^^^-«Bss,««  £^!r^.J\^:yr 


^CTO^oL'  J^.  Vcr^il^^^ 


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ENCYCLOFKDIA  OF    BIOGRAI'il\' 


vania,  and  has  six  children :  Clement 
Grubb,  married  Edith  Watts  Comstock, 
and  has  one  daughter,  Julia  Comstock; 
Heber  L.,  married  Nellie  Oliver  Baer, 
daughter  of  George  F.  Baer,  deceased, 
a  former  president  of  the  Philadelphia  & 
Reading  Railroad;  Mary  Grubb;  Daisy 
Emily,  married  William  Stuart  Morris, 
and  has  Heber  S.,  Morris.  Mary  Cheston, 
and  Jane  Grubb ;  Stanley  MacDonald, 
married  Caroline  B.  Franklin ;  William 
Howard.  5.  Daisy  Elizabeth  Brook,  re- 
sides in  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania. 


COGHLAN,  Rev.  Gerald  P., 

Roman  Catholic  Clergyman. 

The  Rev.  Gerald  P.  Coghlan,  the  well 
known  pastor  of  the  Church  of  Our  Lady 
of  Mercy,  Philadelphia,  has  had  a  career 
that  bespeaks  accomplishment  and  stamps 
him  as  one  of  the  conspicuous  priests  of 
the  Catholic  church. 

He  was  born  at  Foxford,  County  Mayo, 
Ireland,  July  4,  1848,  and  his  early  youth 
was  passed  amid  the  inspirations  of  the 
ardent  Catholic  faith  of  the  Irish  people. 
He  came  to  the  United  States  in  his 
eighteenth  year,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
Seminary  of  St.  Charles,  in  the  diocese 
of  Philadelphia,  where  he  displayed  tal- 
ents of  superior  order.  These  were  sub- 
sequently recognized  by  the  faculty  of 
the  institution,  in  his  appointment  to 
teach  the  classics.  As  a  student  of  phil- 
osophy and  theology  he  was  remarkable 
for  his  clear  understanding  and  his  ardent 
love  of  study.  He  also  devoted  much 
time  to  general  reading.  He  writes  an 
easy  and  perspicuous  style,  and  his  con- 
tributions to  the  periodical  press,  though 
mainly  anonymous,  have  attracted  mark- 
ed attention. 

After  having  completed  the  theological 
course,  he  was  ordained  priest,  on  the 
feast  of  St.  Luke  the  Evangelist,  Octo- 
ber 18,  1872.     His  first  appointment  was 


as  assistant  to  the  Church  of  the  Im- 
maculate Conception,  Philadelphia.  Here 
he  remained  until  1875,  when  he  was 
transferred  to  St.  Mary's,  Philadelphia. 
He  returned  to  the  Immaculate  Concej>- 
tion  in  the  spring  of  1876,  and  officiated 
therein  for  two  more  years.  We  next 
find  him  laboring  in  the  city  of  Easton. 
His  term  of  thirteen  months  in  this  im- 
portant mission  closed  with  the  appoint- 
ment to  the  pastorate  of  St.  Aloysius, 
Pottstown.  Four  years  of  good  work 
were  spent  in  this  parish  when  his  effi- 
ciency moved  Archbishop  Wood  to  in- 
trust him  with  the  pastorate  of  St.  Pe- 
ter's, Reading. 

In  Reading  Father  Coghlan  built  the 
new  church  of  St.  Joseph,  and  cleared  it 
almost  entirely  of  debt.  He  also  intro- 
duced into  Reading  the  Sisters  of  the 
Good  Shepherd.  Seven  years  of  spiritual 
activity  marked  Father  Coghlan's  pastor- 
ate of  St.  Peter's,  Reading.  The  moment 
came  for  a  summons  to  a  wider  and  more 
difficult  sphere  of  action.  On  October  14, 
1889,  he  received  his  appointment  as  pas- 
tor of  the  new  church  of  Our  Lady  of 
Mercy,  to  be  erected  at  Broad  street  and 
Susquehanna  avenue,  Philadelphia,  and 
with  characteristic  energy,  he  began  op- 
erations ten  days  after  his  appointment. 
Actual  work  was  begun  October  24th. 
The  subsequent  history  of  the  Church  of 
Our  Lady  of  Mercy  may  be  summed  up 
in  one  word — "Onword  !"  There  has  been 
no  pause  in  the  work.  The  lower  story 
of  the  school  building  was  the  first  struc- 
ture. It  was  dedicated  as  a  chapel,  De- 
cember 22,  1889.  On  May  12,  1890, 
ground  was  broken  for  the  edifice  of  the 
new  church.  In  October,  of  the  same 
year.  Archbishop  Ryan  laid  the  corner 
stone.  The  parish  house  was  formally 
opened  February  12,  1892.  The  school 
is  also  finished,  and  it  is  surpassed  by 
no  educational  edifice  of  the  kind  in  the 
country. 
997 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Our  Lady  of  Mercy  is  a  conspicuous 
and  magnificent  edifice  situated  at  the 
corner  of  North  Broad  street  and  Sus- 
quehanna avenue,  Philadelphia,  Pennsyl- 
vania. It  is  admitted  one  of  the  finest 
specimens  of  the  Romanesque  in  this 
country;  beautiful  and  impressive,  it  is 
probably  the  most  conspicuous  church 
located  on  the  broadest,  longest  asphalt 
street  in  the  vi^orld. 

When  we  reflect  that  Father  Coghlan 
assumed  the  financial  burden  of  this  great 
undertaking  without  a  dollar  in  the  treas- 
ury and  that  he  accomplished  this  stu- 
pendous work  chiefly  by  the  admirable 
manner  in  which  he  organized  the 
"Church  Building  Fund,"  it  must  be  ad- 
mitted that  God  endowed  him  with  cour- 
age and  perseverance  and  consummate 
cost.  His  enterprises  to  collect  money 
have  been  exceptionally  successful.  Not 
the  least  of  the  elements  of  his  success 
is  the  unbounded  confidence  which  the 
people  repose  in  his  skill  and  prudence. 
As  a  pastor  he  is  loved  and  respected. 
On  the  occasion  of  his  silver  jubilee  the 
parishers  of  Our  Lady  of  Mercy  gave  a 
testimonial  to  Father  Coghlan  and  pre- 
sented him  with  a  check  for  $6,000. 
Father  Coghlan  consented  to  accept  this 
gift  only  with  the  understanding  that  he 
could  turn  it  over  to  the  "Building  Fund," 
again  demonstrating  his  big-heartedness 
and  genuine  interest  in  his  life  work. 

The  silver  jubilee  of  Father  Coghlan's 
was  an  occasion  where  many  leading 
Catholic  dignitaries  met  and  paid  tribute 
to  him.  He  also  received  a  cablegram 
from  the  late  Pope,  Leo  XIII.,  which 
read,  "Rome,  October  23.  To  Rev.  Ger- 
ald P.  Coghlan,  Philadelphia.  His  Holi- 
ness aiTectionately  blesses  your  jubilee." 

Father  Coghlan,  whose  portrait  and 
autograph  appear  in  this  connection,  is 
at  the  writing  of  this  article  (1915) 
still  the  progressive  well  loved  pastor  of 
Our  Lady  of  Mercy.     Father  Coghlan  be- 


longs to  the  following  societies :  The 
Friendly  Sons  of  St.  Patrick,  the  Penn- 
sylvania Historical  Society,  the  American 
Catholic  Historical  Society,  the  Ameri- 
can Irish  Historical  Society,  the  Ancient 
Order  of  Hibernians,  the  Knights  of  Co- 
lumbus. 


SOUTH,  Thomas  W., 

Financier,  Enterprising  Citizen. 

Among  the  various  interests  which  in- 
dicate the  development  of  Pennsylvania's 
enterprises  that  of  the  minor  judiciary  is 
quite  an  important  adjunct.  Coming  of 
old  American  stock  and  attached  to 
Pennsylvania's  earliest  history  through 
ancestral  connections.  Magistrate  Thomas 
W.  South  is  in  every  way  worthy  of  rep- 
resenting the  most  advanced  phases  of 
its  latter-day  citizenship. 

Thomas  Winfield  South  was  born  at 
Laurel,  Ohio,  October  i,  1847.  His  father 
was  Dr.  Stephen  B.  South,  and  his 
mother  Abigail  Steelman  (Higbee)  South. 
His  paternal  grandfather  came  from  New 
Jersey  to  Bethel,  Ohio,  and  his  great- 
grandfather originally  came  from  Wales. 
His  father  lived  on  an  adjoining  farm,  in 
Bethel,  Ohio,  under  the  employ  of  Jesse 
R.  Grant,  the  father  of  General  Grant, 
and  he  was  a  companion  of  the  latter  dur- 
ing his  early  life.  When  General  Grant 
was  appointed  to  West  Point,  Magistrate 
South's  father  was  given  the  same  oppor- 
tunity for  military  development,  but, 
urged  by  his  mother,  refused  the  chance. 
Instead,  he  studied  medicine  and  became 
a  very  successful  physician  and  surgeon, 
in  the  practice  of  which  profession  he 
continued  for  more  than  forty  years.  In 
the  meantime  General  Grant  wrote  the 
older  Mr.  South  to  join  him  and  accept 
a  position  as  surgeon  in  the  army  in  Mex- 
ico, but  he  declined  on  account  of  ill 
health.  The  maiden  name  of  Magistrate 
South's  mother  was  Abigail  Steelman 
998 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Higbee,  and  she  was  the  daughter  of  Ab- 
salom Higbee,  of  Leeds  Point,  New  Jer- 
sey. The  family  was  a  branch  of  an  old 
American  stock,  her  grandfather  having 
been  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  War. 
The  fact  that  the  date  of  the  birth  and 
death  of  the  brave  soldier,  John  Steelman, 
who  was  the  maternal  progenitor  of  Mag- 
istrate South,  are  not  in  accordance  with 
the  regulations  of  the  Sons  of  the  Revo- 
lution, is  the  only  thing  which  prevents 
Magistrate  South  from  becoming  a  mem- 
ber of  that  patriotic  society. 

In  common  with  the  youth  of  his  time, 
Thomas  W.  South  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools,  receiving  the  benefits  of 
a  system  which  at  that  time  had  but  en- 
tered into  its  preparatory  stage.  This 
was  at  Laurel,  Ohio,  and  later  he  was 
sent  to  Clermont  Academy,  New  Rich- 
mond, Ohio.  In  1862  Thomas  W.  South 
made  application  for  admission  to  West 
Point  through  Congressman  R.  W.  Clark, 
from  the  congressional  district  in  Ohio 
where  Mr.  South  lived.  The  application 
was  unsuccessful,  but  Mr.  South  was 
offered  a  cadetship  in  the  Naval  Academy 
at  Annapolis,  which  he  declined.  How- 
ever, being  a  patriotic  youth,  he  went  into 
the  army  with  the  153rd  Regiment  of  Vol- 
unteers in  1863.  This  step  he  took  without 
his  father's  knowledge,  and  with  his  com- 
rades he  reached  Camp  Dennison,  near 
Cincinnati,  marching  from  there  to  Har- 
per's Ferry.  Although  imbued  with  the 
fiery  spirit  of  warfare,  he  was  discharged 
at  the  latter  place  by  Governor  Dennison, 
of  Ohio,  at  his  father's  urgent  request. 

After  receiving  a  regular  course  of 
studies  he  left  school  and,  for  the  purpose 
of  developing  his  business  qualities,  as 
well  as  improving  his  physical  condition, 
he  went  into  the  live-stock  business  in 
Ohio  in  1868,  and  in  1872  he  came  to 
Philadelphia  and  entered  the  employ  of 
Henry  Disston.  From  that  time  Thomas 
W.   South   has   been    identified   with   the 


development  of  Tacony.  In  1872,  when 
he  entered  the  Disston  establishment,  he 
saw  the  splendid  future  which  was  offered 
to  that  section  of  Philadelphia,  and  he 
became  an  active  participant  in  the  re- 
laying out  and  building  upon  improved 
plans  of  the  town  of  Tacony.  The  first 
house  erected  under  the  new  scheme  of 
improvement  there  was  begun  on  the  day 
that  Jay  Cooke  failed,  and,  in  spite  of 
the  fact  that  business  throughout  the 
country  was  generally  depressed,  more 
than  $3,000,000  were  expended  in  making 
Tacony  what  it  is  today.  Mr.  South  is 
probably  more  than  any  one  person  re- 
sponsible for  the  remarkable  growth  of 
this  beautiful  suburb.  He  was  connected 
with  the  firm  of  Henry  Disston  &  Sons 
as  manager  and  general  agent  of  their 
real  estate  operations  in  Philadelphia, 
and  his  primary  object  in  coming  from 
Ohio  to  F'hiladelphia  was  to  superintend 
the  building  of  that  town  of  homes  for 
the  Disston  workmen.  Mr.  South  be- 
came a  director  of  the  Suburban  Electric 
Company,  of  which  he  was  practically  an 
originator.  He  was  also  one  of  the  pro- 
moters of  the  Holmesburg,  Frankford 
and  Tacony  Electric  railway ;  and  he  or- 
ganized the  Tacony  Building  and  Loan 
Association,  of  which  he  has  been  treas- 
urer for  forty-two  years.  Through  good 
management  this  has  grown  to  be  a  five 
million  dollar  institution,  and  has  been 
of  unmeasurable  advantage  to  people  of 
thrift.  He  was  appointed  index  clerk  in 
the  Recorder  of  Deed's  office  under  the 
administration  of  General  Wagner.  He 
demonstrated  special  abilities  for  such 
a  responsibility  and  was  shortly  made 
special  agent  in  the  revenue  office.  The 
office  of  magistrate  requires  a  large  adap- 
tability and  numerous  talents.  All  of 
these  Thomas  W.  South  possessed,  and 
it  was  but  a  natural  outcome  of  his  pro- 
gressive temperament  and  frequently  in- 
dicated abilities  that  he  should  be  elected, 
99Q 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


in  1875,  to  the  post  of  magistrate  of  the 
city  of  Philadelphia.  He  has  been  re- 
elected five  times,  in  recognition  of  his 
excellent  public  service.  Few  members 
of  the  minor  judiciary  have  a  better  rec- 
ord to  point  to  than  Magistrate  Thomas 
VV.  South.  The  interests  of  his  district, 
the  advancement  of  his  city  at  large  and 
the  honorable  conduct  of  his  office  have 
ever  been  his  chief  consideration,  and  it 
is  but  a  natural  result  that  he  is  ranked 
today  among  the  most  successful  and  able 
members  of  that  body  of  eminent  Phila- 
delphians  and  representative  Pennsyl- 
vanians  who  have  the  legal  interests  of 
the  city  in  their  hands. 

In  1878  Magistrate  South  was  married 
to  Ida  N.  Corbly,  of  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 
They  have  had  three  children  Blanch 
L.,  now  Mrs.  J.  Leon  Taylor;  Effie  L., 
now  the  wife  of  Mr.  W.  J.  Raney,  son  of 
the  ex-tax  receiver;  and  Hamilton  D. 
South,  a  captain  in  the  United  States 
navy,  and  Post  Adjutant  of  the  Norfolk 
Navy  Yard,  who  married  Miss  Elsie 
Turnbull,  daughter  of  Charles  S.  Turn- 
bull,  a  prominent  physician  and  eye  spe- 
cialist who  resides  at  No.  1935  Chestnut 
street,  Philadelphia. 


DETWILER,  Daniel  H., 

Financier,  Enterprising  Citisen. 

The  European  home  of  the  Datwyler 
family  was  in  Switzerland,  canton  of 
Basle,  town  of  Langenbruck,  where  the 
earliest  record  traces  to  1608.  In  Penn- 
sylvania the  name  is  variously  spelled 
Detwiler,  Detwiller,  and  Detweiler  being 
the  forms  most  in  use.  The  family  has 
been  especially  noted  in  medicine  and  fi- 
nance, Dr.  Henry  Detwiler,  who  died  in 
Easton,  Pennsylvania,  April  21,  1887,  hav- 
ing been  the  pioneer  of  the  Hahnemann 
school  in  America  and  at  his  death  "prob- 
ably the  oldest  practitioner  in  the  world." 
Manv  others  of  the  name  have  attained 


prominence  in  the  same  profession,  while 
the  branch  of  Daniel  H.  Detwiler,  of  Co- 
lumbia, has  been  and  is  prominent  in 
public  life  and  financial  circles.  The 
American  founder  of  this  branch  of  the 
Detwilers  in  Pennsylvania  was  Joseph 
Detwiler,  a  descendant  of  the  early  Swiss 
family.  His  home  in  Switzerland  was 
near  the  Swiss-German  frontier  of  Baden, 
and  when  he  finally  came  to  America  he 
was  accompanied  by  his  brother.  He  also 
had  a  brother,  Samuel,  and  a  sister,  Mary. 
Joseph  Detwiler  settled  near  Octoraro 
Creek,  below  Safe  Harbor,  Lancaster 
county,  but  afterward  moved  to  Bam- 
bridge,  on  the  Susquehanna  river,  below 
Harrisburg. 

Joseph  (2)  Detwiler,  son  of  Joseph  (i), 
was  born  at  Bambridge  in  1789.  He  there 
grew  to  manhood,  later  moving  to  Co- 
lumbia, and  married  Susan  Garber, 
daughter  of  a  prosperous  York  county 
farmer,  and  resided  in  that  place  until 
1820.  In  that  year  he  moved  to  York 
county,  purchasing  and  settling  on  a  farm 
in  Hellam  township,  near  Wrightsville. 
He  cultivated  these  acres  until  his  death, 
April  30,  1870.  He  enlarged  the  home- 
stead, built  the  barn  that  yet  stands,  and 
was  one  of  the  prosperous  farmers  of  his 
township.  He  was  at  one  time  super- 
visor of  West  Hempfield  township,  filled 
the  office  of  county  commissioner,  and 
long  was  active  in  public  affairs.  In  ad- 
dition to  his  numerous  other  interests, 
public,  business,  and  agricultural,  he  was 
for  many  years  manager  of  the  Wrights- 
ville Pike,  an  office  in  which  he  was  suc- 
ceeded by  his  son  David,  who  entered 
upon  its  duties  at  the  death  of  his  father. 
His  political  party  was  the  Democratic. 
Children  of  Joseph  (2)  and  Susan  (Gar- 
ber) Detwiler:  David,  deceased,  a  suc- 
cessful farmer ;  Joseph,  a  wealthy  land- 
owner and  owner  of  stone  quarries  and  a 
lime  kiln,  since  i860  a  director  of  the 
Union    National    Bank,    Mt.   Joy,    Penn- 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAI'HY 


sylvania;  Daniel  H.,  of  whom  further; 
Susan ;  Solomon,  deceased,  cashier  of  the 
First  National  Bank,  of  Columbia,  Penn- 
sylvania;  Anna,  married  Abram  Hie- 
stand,  deceased,  a  farmer,  miller,  and  dis- 
tiller. 

Daniel  H.  Detwiler,  son  of  Joseph  (2) 
Detwiler  and  his  wife,  Susan  Garber,  was 
born  in  West  Hempfield  township,  Lan- 
caster county,  Pennsylvania,  October  26, 
1828.  When  he  was  three  years  of  age 
his  parents  moved  to  York  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  here,  in  the  district  schools 
in  the  region  of  their  home  near  Wrights- 
ville,  he  obtained  his  education.  He  re- 
mained on  the  home  farm  with  his  par- 
ents until  i860,  performing  his  share  of 
the  labor  of  cultivation,  and  in  that  year 
came  to  Columbia,  Pennsylvania,  with  his 
brother  Solomon,  and  with  that  brother 
formed  a  partnership  in  banking.  The 
firm's  name  was  Detwiler  &  Brother,  and 
together  the  two  conducted  their  private 
enterprise  until  1864,  when  they  took  out 
Federal  papers  and  incorporated  as  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Columbia,  Solo- 
mon Detwiler  becoming  cashier  of  the 
newly  organized  institution,  Daniel  H. 
Detwiler  continuing  his  connection  with 
the  bank  of  which  he  was  a  founder,  in 
the  capacity  of  director.  Upon  the  death 
of  Hon.  Hugh  M.  North  Mr.  Detwiler 
succeeded  to  the  presidency  of  the  First 
National,  and  is  still  its  executive  head. 
His  length  of  service  is  more  than  fifty 
years,  and  he  has  been  instrumental  in 
promoting  the  series  of  expansions  that 
have  placed  the  First  National  in  its  pres- 
ent place  of  reliable  usefulness  in  Co- 
lumbia. Under  his  leadership,  stability 
and  strength  have  continued  to  character- 
ize the  institution  that  represents  so 
much  of  his  labor  and  care,  and  he  has 
maintained  high  place  among  the  finan- 
ciers of  the  locality.  For  the  past  ten 
years  Mr.  Detwiler  has  been  president  of 


the  Keeley  Stove  Company,  a  flourishing 
corporation  conducting  a  large  business, 
is  vice-president  of  the  l-'armers'  Fire  In- 
surance Company,  of  York,  Pennsylvania, 
and  has  also  many  other  business  con- 
nections. His  years  are  eighty-seven,  but 
in  multiplicity  of  associations  and  burden 
of  duties  his  lot  far  surpasses  that  of 
many  a  man  of  fewer  years.  The  respect 
and  approbation  of  his  fellows  has  at- 
tended him  throughout  his  long  and  well 
spent  career,  and  he  is  valued  as  a  citizen 
of  pure  life  and  motives. 

Daniel  H.  Detwiler  married,  in  De- 
cember, 1875,  Laura  .A..,  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam H.  Sanderson,  of  Lock  Haven,  Penn- 
sylvania, a  descendant  of  Henry  Sander- 
son and  his  wife,  Hanna  Popham,  of  Ar- 
magh, Ireland.  Hanna  Popham  was  a 
member  of  the  family  owning  Major  Wil- 
liam Popham,  an  ofificer  of  the  American 
army  in  the  War  for  Independence,  a  dis- 
tinguished soldier  and  a  warm  personal 
friend  of  General  Washington.  A  mater- 
nal line  of  the  family  is  the  Van  Kouwen- 
hoven.  founded  in  America  by  Wolfert 
Gerrisse  Van  Kouwenhoven,  who  in  1630 
came  from  Holland  and  to  New  Nether- 
lands. His  son,  Gerrit  Wolfersten  Van 
Kouwenhoven,  had  a  son  William  Ger- 
ritsen  Van  Kouwenhoven,  the  son,  ac- 
cording to  Dutch  usage,  taking  the  name 
of  the  father  with  the  suffix  "sen."  and 
this  William  was  the  father  of  six  sons. 
William,  Peter,  Cornelius,  Albert,  Jacob, 
and  John.  Robert  Van  Kouwenhoven 
participated  in  the  Indian  struggles  along 
the  West  Branch,  serving  as  chief  guide 
to  Colonel  Hartley,  and  fought  in  the 
American  army  in  the  battles  of  Trenton 
and  Princeton  in  the  Revolution.  He 
married,  February  22.  1778,  Mercy  Kelsy 
Cutter,  and  through  his  line  connection 
is  made  with  that  of  Sanderson  and  thus 
with  that  of  Detwiler. 

Children  of  Daniel  H.  and  Laura  fSan- 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


derson)  Detwiler:  Beatrice  and  William 
Sanderson.  William  Sanderson  Detwiler 
is  a  graduate  of  Princeton  University,  and 
the  present  (1914-18)  burgess  of  Colum- 
bia, Pennsylvania. 


SMITH,  Seth  MacCuen,  M.  D., 

Practitioner,    Instructor,    Author. 

Dr.  Seth  MacCuen  Smith,  Professor  of 
Otology  in  Jefi'erson  Medical  College,  and 
for  twenty-five  years  a  specialist  in  dis- 
eases of  the  ear,  nose  and  throat,  was 
born  in  Hollidaysburg,  Blair  county. 
Pennsylvania,  March  6,  1863.  His  father. 
Dr.  George  Washington  Smith,  was  a 
prominent  practitioner  of  Hollidaysburg, 
and  widely  known  throughout  the  central 
and  western  part  of  the  State.  He  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  MacCuen,  a  daughter  oi 
Judge  Seth  MacCuen,  of  Hollidaysburg. 
whose  early  ancestors  came  to  America 
from  Scotland,  and  were  first  located  in 
Blair  county,  Pennsylvania. 

Dr.  S.  MacCuen  Smith  acquired  his 
preliminary  education  in  Hollidaysburg 
Academy,  and  after  completing  his  liter- 
ary and  classical  course  of  study  entered 
Jefiferson  Medical  College,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  1884.  He  at  first  en- 
gaged in  the  practice  of  general  medicine, 
in  later  years  confining  his  attention  to 
his  chosen  specialty.  Immediately  fol- 
lowing his  graduation  in  1884.  he  was 
elected  resident  physician  in  the  German- 
town  Hospital,  where  he  served  for  eigh- 
teen months,  and  on  the  expiration  of  his 
interneship  he  entered  upon  the  active 
practice  of  general  medicine  in  German- 
town,  Philadelphia,  and  so  continued  for 
five  years,  although  during  that  period  he 
devoted  considerable  time  to  special 
study  of  diseases  of  the  ear.  nose  and 
throat.  In  1886  a  department  of  the  ear, 
nose  and  throat  was  established  at  the 
Germantown  Hospital,  and  Dr.  Smith 
was     elected     surgeon-in-charge,     which 


position  he  still  holds.  In  1886  also  he 
was  elected  clinical  chief  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Otology  at  the  Jefiferson  Medi- 
cal College,  holding  that  position  until 
1893,  when  he  was  elected  Clinical  Lec- 
turer of  Otology  in  the  same  institution. 
He  continued  to  perform  his  duties  as 
Clinical  Lecturer  until  1894,  when  he  was 
chosen  Clinical  Professor  of  Otologfy, 
and  given  a  place  in  the  faculty  of  the 
Jefiferson  Medical  College.  In  1904  Dr. 
Smith  was  elected  Professor  of  Otology 
of  the  Jefferson  Medical  College,  which 
position  he  holds  at  the  present  time,  and 
in  the  same  year  he  was  elected  aurist  of 
the  Jewish  Hospital  of  Philadelphia.  In 
the  intervening  years  he  has  spent  much 
time  in  study  in  foreign  countries,  per- 
fecting himself  in  his  special  work,  which 
he  has  followed  exclusively  for  the  past 
twenty-five  years,  constantly  forging  to 
the  front  in  this  line,  until  he  stands  to- 
day as  a  distinguished  representative  of 
the  profession  in  his  chosen  field  of  ser- 
vice. 

On  October  24,  1889,  m  Germantown, 
Philadelphia,  Dr.  Smith  was  married  to 
Miss  Virginia  Allen,  a  daughter  of  John 
Allen,  a  well-known  manufacturer  and 
the  founder  of  the  extensive  Sherwood 
Knitting  Mills,  one  of  the  largest  and 
most  modern  manufactories  devoted  to 
the  production  of  hosiery  and  fancy 
goods  in  the  country.  Unto  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Smith  have  been  born  two  sons  and  a 
daughter — George  Allen,  Elizabeth  Mac- 
Cuen, and  Lewis  Happer. 

Dr.  Smith  is  an  exemplary  representa- 
tive of  the  Masonic  fraternity.  He  be- 
longs to  the  Union  League  of  Philadel- 
phia, and  to  nearly  all  of  the  leading 
clubs  and  organizations,  including  the 
University,  Philadelphia  Cricket,  Ger- 
mantown Cricket,  and  the  Whitemarsh 
Valley  Country  clubs.  His  religious 
faith  is  that  of  the  Presbyterian  church. 
While  varied  lines  claim  Dr.  Smith's  at- 


jCa-^s  -Vfs'^i-icf/  ^ai  iT^ 


/ 


A^^^^i>^>^' 


V 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


tention  and  keep  him  in  touch  with  the 
activities  and  interests  of  life,  he  is  chiefly 
occupied  with  his  profession,  and  has 
contributed  largely  to  the  literature  em- 
bracing his  specialty.  He  has  not  only 
written  many  monograms  pertaining  to 
his  special  line  of  work,  but  has  also  con- 
tributed the  chapter  on  diseases  of  the 
ear  in  several  systems  of  medicine.  He 
was  early  in  the  field  of  aural  surgery 
and  has  done  much  in  the  perfecting  of 
modern  surgical  otology.  He  holds  mem- 
bership with  the  College  of  Physicians  of 
Philadelphia,  American  Otological  So- 
ciety, American  Laryngological.  Rhino- 
logical  and  Otological  Society,  American 
Medical  Association,  American  Academy 
of  Ophthalmology  and  Oto-Laryngology, 
and  the  Medical  Society  of  the  State  of 
Pennsylvania. 


SHATTUCK,  Frank  Rodman, 

liaxryeT,  I<ai7  Examiner. 

Although  a  native  born  Philadelphian, 
Mr.  Shattuck,  through  both  paternal  and 
maternal  lines  harks  back  to  early  days 
in  New  England,  even  to  that  remote  date 
1623,  when  a  maternal  ancestor,  Joshua 
Pratt,  came  in  the  ship  "Anne  and  Little 
James."  On  the  paternal  side  Mr.  Shat- 
tuck descends  from  William  Shattuck  "of 
the  people  called  Quakers,"  both  families 
being  of  English  ancestry.  They  endur- 
ed, in  the  first  generation,  all  the  trials 
and  privations  of  the  "pilgrim"  and  also 
the  persecutions  to  which  the  "Quaker" 
was  subjected  by  his  stronger  brethren. 

William  Shattuck,  the  progenitor,  born 
in  England  1621-22,  died  at  Watertown, 
Massachusetts,  August  14,  1672.  He  was 
tried  at  Salem,  Massachusetts,  May  11, 
'659,  on  the  heinous  charge  of  being  a 
"Quaker,"  and  sentenced  to  banishment 
from  the  colony  under  pain  of  death. 
But  he  was  a  fighter  himself,  although  a 
member  of  the  peaceful  sect,  and  on  leav- 


ing the  colony  in  deference  to  the  sen- 
tence of  the  court,  proceeded  at  once  to 
England,  and  laid  his  case  before  the 
King,  Charles  H.  He  secured  the  aid  of 
a  powerful  friend,  and  on  September  19, 
1661,  obtained  a  writ  of  mandamus,  com- 
manding the  magistrate  and  ministers  of 
New  England  to  "forbear  to  proceed  any 
further"  against  the  Quakers.  He  was 
also  appointed  King's  deputy  to  carry  this 
mandamus  to  New  England,  which  he  did 
and  on  November  27,  1661,  the  general 
court  of  the  Province  of  Massachusetts 
Bay,  ordered  that  "the  execution  of  the 
laws  in  force  against  'Quakers'  as  such, 
so  far  as  they  respect  corporal  punish- 
ment or  death,  be  suspended  until  the 
Court  take  further  Order."  After  this 
victory  over  ecclesiastical  intolerance, 
won  in  behalf  of  his  religious  associates 
as  well  as  himself,  Samuel  Shattuck  lived 
to  enjoy  his  freedom  from  persecution 
twenty-eight  years,  dying  in  1672,  his 
widow  Susanna  marrying  three  and  a  half 
years  later,  Richard  Norcross. 

The  line  of  descent  to  Frank  Rodman 
Shattuck  is  through  William  (2)  Shat- 
tuck, third  son  of  the  "Quaker"  emigrant, 
who  was  born  at  Watertown,  Massachu- 
setts, married  1678,  Susanna  Randall. 

Robert,  tenth  child  of  William  (2) 
Shattuck,  born  January  1,  1698,  settled  at 
Plymouth,  Massachusetts,  but  died  m  his 
father's  house  at  Watertown  while  there 
visiting  December  13,  1723.  His  wife, 
Mary  Pratt,  was  a  daughter  of  Benajah 
(2)  and  Mary  Pratt,  of  Plymouth,  grand- 
daughter of  Benajah  and  Persis  (Dun- 
ham) Pratt,  and  a  great-great-grand- 
daughter of  Joshua  Pratt,  who  arrived  in 
the  "Anne  and  Little  James"  as  previous- 
ly stated. 

Robert  (2),  second  of  the  three  children 
of  Robert  (i)  Shattuck,  was  born  in  Ply- 
mouth, Massachusetts.  June  3,  1721,  died 
in  Middletown,  Connecticut,  February 
12,  1802.     His  first  wife,  Ruhamah  Cook, 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


was  a  descendant  of  Francis  Cook,  who 
came  in  the  "Mayflower"  in  1620. 

David,  sixth  child  of  Robert  (2)  Shat- 
tuck,  is  the  Revolutionary  ancestor  of 
Frank  Rodman  Shattuck.  He  was  born 
in  East  Hampton,  Connecticut,  Septem- 
ber 12,  1758,  died  in  Colchester,  Connec- 
ticut, January  23,  1840.  In  1776,  he  en- 
listed in  the  company  commanded  by 
Eliphalet  Holmes,  Colonel  Ephraim 
Chamberlain's  regiment,  Connecticut 
militia ;  served  six  months  under  Colonel 
Selden  in  the  Continental  service ;  was 
with  Washington's  army  on  Long  Island. 
He  again  enlisted  under  Captain  Cham- 
bers in  1780,  his  company  being  a  part  of 
Colonel  Heman  Swift's  regiment,  Con- 
tinental Line,  serving  until  the  final  dis- 
banding of  the  American  army.  He  ap- 
plied for  a  pension  March  31,  1818,  which 
was  granted,  he  living  twenty-two  years 
to  enjoy  its  benefits.  His  wife,  Dorothy 
Alcott,  died  April  26,  1838. 

Giles,  fourth  child  of  David  and  Doro- 
thy (Alcott)  Shattuck,  was  born  at  Col- 
chester, January  24,  1798.  He  married, 
September  30,  1821,  Nancy  Eggleston. 

Their  son,  Francis  Elliott  Shattuck. 
was  born  at  Moodus.  Connecticut,  Octo- 
ber 16,  1828.  He  came  to  Philadelphia, 
when  a  young  man  and  there  was  for 
many  years  adjuster  for  one  of  the  lead- 
ing fire  insurance  companies,  and  himself 
one  of  the  leading  insurance  men  of  the 
city.  He  married,  October  i,  1861,  Mary, 
daughter  of  Isaac  G.  Colesberry,  of  Phila- 
delphia. 

Frank  Rodman,  only  son  of  Francis 
Elliott  and  Mary  (Colesberry)  Shattuck, 
was  born  in  Philadelphia,  February  19, 
T864.  He  received  his  elementary  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools,  finishing  at 
Central  High  School,  whence  he  was 
graduated  in  1881.  He  began  the  study 
of  law  under  Alexander  P.  Colesberry  as 
preceptor,  and  in   1883  entered  the  I^w 


Department  of  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania, from  whence  he  was  graduated 
LL.  B.,  class  of  1885,  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  of  Philadelphia  county  the  same  year, 
and  has  taken  an  honored  position  among 
his  professional  brethren.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Philadelphia  Board  of  Law 
Examiners,  and  of  several  professional, 
historical  and  patriotic  organizations.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Colonial  Society ;  the 
Sons  of  the  Revolution,  Pennsylvania 
Chapter,  through  the  patriotic  services  of 
his  great-grandfather,  David  Shattuck 
( 1 758-1840)  ;  the  New  England  Society; 
and  the  Historical  Society  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. His  clubs  are  the  Art,  Univer- 
sity, Racquet,  Philadelphia  Country  and 
Huntingdon  Country. 

He  married,  November  18,  1886,  Ella 
Agnes,  daughter  of  Thomas  and  Kather- 
ine  Martin  Woodward,  of  Philadelphia. 
Children  :  Mildred  Woodward  and  Kath- 
lyne  Montgomery. 


SNIVEL Y,  Albert  Charles, 

Laxr-yer,  Public  0£Scial. 

The  Snively  family,  which  has  one  of 
its  able  representatives  in  the  present  day, 
Albert  Charles  Snively,  an  attorney  of 
Greensburg,  Westmoreland  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, has  been  resident  in  the  United 
States  since  the  latter  part  of  the  eigh- 
teenth century,  and  came  originally  from 
Germany. 

John  Snively  was  born  in  Germany, 
emigrated  to  America,  and  made  his  home 
in  Hagerstown,  Maryland,  in  1780,  being 
a  young  lad  at  that  time,  and  died  in 
1806.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
church.  He  married  Amy  Wilkinson,  and 
had  children  :  John,  of  further  mention  ; 
Abraham,  made  his  home  in  Pittsburgh ; 
Hugh,  migrated  to  Ohio  and  settled  in 
that  State. 

John   Snively,  eldest  son  of  John  and 

'4 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Amy  (Wilkinson)  Snively,  was  born  in 
Hagerstown,  Maryland,  in  1803,  and  died 
in  Mount  Pleasant  township,  Westmore- 
land county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1884.  He 
was  brought  to  Mount  Pleasant  town- 
ship in  1807,  received  a  good  common 
school  education,  and  was  brought  up  in 
the  Lutheran  faith.  He  married,  in  1824, 
Catherine  Fausold,  born  in  Cumberland, 
Maryland,  in  1800,  came  to  Westmore- 
land county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1818,  and 
died  in  1877.  They  became  the  parents 
of  ten  children. 

Hiram  Snively,  son  of  John  and  Cath- 
erine (Fausold)  Snively,  was  born  in 
Mount  Pleasant  township,  February  4, 
1832,  and  is  now  living  in  Mt.  Pleasant 
township,  Westmoreland  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, a  fine  specimen  of  hearty  old 
age.  One  of  his  paternal  cousins  was  ac- 
tive in  the  French  and  Indian  War,  and 
he  himself  was  desirous  of  enlisting  at 
the  time  of  the  Civil  War,  but  was  not 
accepted  by  reason  of  a  physical  disabil- 
ity. He  received  a  good  common  school 
education,  and  was  a  man  of  much  natural 
intelligence  and  fine  reasoning  powers. 
He  was  a  staunch  supporter  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  and  was  honored  with  a 
number  of  township  offices,  among  them 
being  that  of  assessor  in  which  he  served 
five  terms,  and  tax  collector,  in  which  he 
served  twice.  He  married,  September  16, 
1858,  Mary  Ann,  born  in  Westmoreland 
county,  Pennsylvania,  a  daughter  of 
David  and  Hester  (Benford)  Chorpen- 
ning,  the  former  born  in  Somerset  county, 
Pennsylvania,  in  1799,  died  in  1868,  the 
latter,  born  in  Somerset  county  in  1807, 
died  in  1867.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Snively  had 
ten  children,  eight  now  living. 

Albert  Charles  Snively,  son  of  Hiram 
and  Mary  Ann  (Chorpenning)  Snively, 
was  born  in  Mount  Pleasant  township, 
Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania, 
November  26,   1869.     His  education  was 


a  liberal  one,  and  was  acquired  in  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  township,  in 
the  Mount  Pleasant  Institute,  and  the 
Cireensburg  Seminary.  He  commenced 
teaching  in  the  public  schools  of  the 
county  while  still  pursuing  his  own  edu- 
cation, and  continued  this  for  eight  terms 
with  great  success.  He  then  took  up  the 
study  of  law  in  the  offices  of  Albert  H. 
Bell  and  G.  Dallas  Albert,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  practice  at  the  bar  of  West- 
moreland county,  January  26,  1896.  He 
at  once  established  himself  in  the  prac- 
tice of  his  chosen  profession,  and  has  been 
actively  and  very  successfully  identified 
with  it  since  that  time. 

In  matters  connected  with  the  public 
welfare  of  the  community,  Mr.  Snively 
has  also  taken  a  prominent  part.  As  a 
representative  of  the  Democratic  party  he 
has  served  as  school  director  of  Irwin 
borough ;  was  secretary  of  the  Demo- 
cratic County  Committee  in  1896;  chair- 
man of  the  same  in  1907 ;  has  been  dele- 
gate to  a  number  of  State  conventions ; 
was  a  delegate  to  the  convention  of  1904 
which  met  at  St.  Louis,  Missouri.  His 
religious  affiliation  is  with  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  church.  Fraternally  he  is  a 
member  of  Masontown  Lodge,  No.  459, 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons ;  Lodge  No. 
415,  Knights  of  Pythias,  of  Irwin;  Lodge 
No.  486,  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order 
of  Elks,  of  Jeannette.  He  was  a  member 
of  Company  I,  National  Guard  of  Penn- 
.sylvania,  1894-95-96. 

Mr.  Snively  married,  July  28,  1903,  in 
Westmoreland  county,  Nettie  A.,  who 
was  educated  in  the  common  and  normal 
schools,  a  daughter  of  Rev.  A.  Dickey  and 
Samatha  (Pyle)  Christner,  of  Mount 
Pleasant,  Pennsylvania,  and  they  have 
two  children :  Alberta  Christner,  born  at 
Irwin,  February  17,  1905;  and  Florence 
Christner  Snively,  born  at  Irwin,  Janu- 
ary 17,  1907. 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPflY 


STRITTMATTER,  Isidor  P.,  M.  D., 

Proprietor  of  Private   Hospital. 

Dr.  Isidor  P.  Strittmatter,  whose  study 
and  abilities  have  brought  him  to  a  promi- 
nent position  in  the  ranks  of  the  medical 
fraternity  in  Philadelphia,  has  for  almost 
a  quarter  of  a  century  conducted  one  of 
the  leading  private  hospitals  of  the  city 
and  has  done  splendid  work  as  well  in 
general  practice  and  as  a  member  of  hos- 
pital staffs. 

A  native  of  Carrollton,  Pennsylvania, 
Dr.  Strittmatter  was  born  August  i6. 
i860,  of  the  marriage  of  Francis  X.  and 
Elizabeth  (Huber)  Strittmatter.  The 
former  was  born  in  Lycoming  county. 
Pennsylvania,  but  his  father  was  a  native 
of  southwestern  Germany.  Coming  to 
America,  he  settled  in  Philadelphia, 
where  he  married  Frances  Meyer,  who 
was  born  near  Strassburg  and  crossed 
the  Atlantic  on  the  same  ship  with  her 
future  husband.  After  a  short  residence 
in  Lycoming  county,  during  which  period 
Francis  X.  Strittmatter  was  born,  the 
family  removed  to  Cambria  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  were  among  the  pioneer 
settlers  of  that  mountainous  region. 
There  Francis  X.  Strittmatter  was  reared 
and  through  the  period  of  his  manhood 
engaged  in  building  operations,  while  ag- 
ricultural pursuits  were  to  him  a  pas- 
time. His  wife,  Elizabeth  Huber,  was  a 
native  of  Bavaria,  Germany. 

After  attending  the  public  schools,  Dr. 
Strittmatter  became  a  pupil  in  St.  Vin- 
cent's College  of  Pennsylvania,  and  re- 
ceived his  professional  training  in  the  Jef- 
ferson Medical  College  of  Philadelphia, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  March, 
1881.  He  taught  school  for  two  terms 
prior  to  his  graduation  in  medicine  and 
after  completing  his  course  he  acted  as 
resident  physician  in  the  German  Hos- 
pital, from  which  he  resigned,  afterwards 
he  became  resident  physician  in  St.  Mary's 


Hospital.  On  October  21,  1882,  however, 
he  entered  upon  private  practice  at  No. 
1232  North  Fifth  street.  For  ten  years 
he  served  on  the  surgical  staff  of  St. 
Mary's  Hospital,  but  resigned  in  1897  to 
devote  his  entire  attention  to  the  private 
hospital  in  which  he  established  and 
which  was  opened  at  999  North  Sixth 
street  on  March  27,  1887.  The  liberal 
patronage  accorded  this  institution  is  un- 
mistakable evidence  of  the  confidence  re- 
posed in  Dr.  Strittmatter  professionally. 
Splendidly  for  both  medical  and  surgical 
work,  he  has  surrounded  himself  with  a 
corps  of  able  assistants  and  in  its  equip- 
ment his  hospital  is  thoroughly  modern 
and  progressive  in  every  particular.  Dr. 
.'strittmatter  is  also  the  owner  of  real  es- 
tate in  Philadelphia  and  farm  property 
not  far  distant  in  both  Pennsylvania  and 
New  Jersey.  He  is  likewise  a  director  of 
the  Integrity  Title  Insurance  Trust  & 
.Safety  Deposit  Company. 

On  September  27,  1897,  in  Philadel- 
phia, Dr.  Strittmatter  wedded  Clara  A. 
Ross,  a  daughter  of  Herman  H.  Ross,  a 
carpet  manufacturer,  and  they  have  one 
son,  Isidor  T.  Dr.  Strittmatter  belongs 
to  St.  Peter's  Roman  Catholic  Church, 
and  is  identified  with  various  societies  for 
the  promotion  of  professional  knowledge 
and  efficiency,  including  the  Philadelphia 
Medical  Club,  the  County  Medical  So- 
ciety, the  Pathological  Society,  the  Ob- 
stetrical Society,  the  North  Medical  As- 
sociation, the  Pennsylvania  State  Society, 
the  American  Medical  Association  and 
the  James  Aitken  Meigs  Medical  Society. 

Apart  from  the  deep  interest  in  scien- 
tific knowledge  allied  to  medicine  and 
surgery  and  all  that  goes  for  the  mental 
and  physical  betterment  of  the  human 
family  his  greatest  pleasure  is  country 
life — occasional  hunts  in  the  wilds  of  the 
west  and  the  woods  of  Maine  and  in  jour- 
neys through  Europe  and  Africa,  lending 
inferential  variety  to  his  interests.     He 


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believes  that  closer  contact  with  nature, 
study  of  the  many  unsolved  problems 
which  are  to  be  seen  on  all  sides  and  at 
all  times,  coupled  with  the  reading  and 
digestion  of  the  concrete  study  of  one's 
predecessors  and  contemporaries  as  found 
in  their  writings,  fits  the  individual  better 
for  the  solution  of  the  problems  of  the 
present  and  inflicts  less  mental  pain  and 
heartache  than  high  finance  and  the  diver- 
sions of  so  called  society.  In  other  words 
Dr.  Strittmatter  likes  to  contemplate  and 
support  those  projects  and  movements 
which  broaden  the  vision  of  the  individual 
and  increase  his  efficiency  without  tramp- 
ling on  the  rights  or  narrowing  the  op- 
portunities of  one's  fellowmen.  His  life 
work  is  an  exponent  of  the  spirit  of  broad 
humanitarianism  that  dominates  him  and 
in  the  practice  of  his  profession  he  utilizes 
the  many  opportunities  which  are  pre- 
sented to  aid  those  in  need  of  assistance. 


DREXEL,  George  William  Childs. 

Journalist,    Retired. 

Certain  names  are  always  associated 
in  the  minds  of  Americans  with  certain 
achievements,  events  or  lines  of  activity 
in  which  they  have  been  famous,  as : 
Lincoln  and  emancipation;  Cramp  and 
ship  building;  Edison  and  electricity. 
Mention  the  name  of  Drexel  and  one  in- 
voluntarily instantly  associates  the  name 
with  banking,  although  it  is  also  a  noted 
name  in  art,  philanthropy  and  society.  In 
Philadelphia  not  only  is  it  prominent, 
through  the  great  banking  house  of 
Drexel,  but  through  that  magnificent  phil- 
anthropy, Drexel  Institute,  one  of  the 
greatest  practical  schools  in  the  world. 
As  bankers,  the  name  is  borne  by  great 
financial  institutions  in  Philadelphia, 
New  York  and  Paris.  In  philanthropy 
the  magnificent  generosity  of  Anthony 
Joseph  Drexel  and  his  sister,  Katherine 
Drexel,  will  ever  be  remembered.     In  art 


and  literature  the  name  is  one  held  in 
highest  estimation  and  in  social  life  the 
family  have  been  leaders  for  generations. 

The  founder  of  the  family  in  Philadel- 
phia was  Francis  Martin  Drexel,  an  artist, 
born  in  Austrian  Tyrol  in  1792.  He  left 
his  native  land  during  the  troublous 
times  of  the  Napoleonic  wars,  arriving  in 
Philadelphia  in  1817.  He  established  a 
studio  in  that  city  and  practiced  his  art, 
chiefly  in  the  painting  of  portraits.  In 
1826  he  traveled  through  the  Spanish- 
American  states,  painting  while  "en  tour" 
the  portraits  of  many  celebrities,  includ- 
ing one  of  the  "Great  Liberator"  General 
Simon  Bolivar,  the  Washington  of  Bo- 
livia. 

In  1837  he  entered  the  world  of  finance, 
founding  the  banking  house  of  Drexel 
&  Company  in  Philadelphia.  In  the  man- 
agement of  the  aflfairs  of  that  house  he 
displayed  financial  ability  of  the  highest 
order  and  builded  so  well,  so  strong  and 
so  true,  that,  continued  by  his  sons,  it 
has  grown  and  expanded  into  a  house 
with  connections  all  over  the  world,  and 
with  the  great  banking  house,  Drexel, 
Morgan  &  Company,  in  New  York,  and 
the  equally  great  Drexel,  Harjes  &  Com- 
pany, in  Paris,  France. 

The  greatest  banker  of  the  second  gen- 
eration was  Anthony  Joseph  Drexel,  sec- 
ond son  of  the  founder,  Francis  Martin 
Drexel  and  his  wife.  Katherine  Hook.  He 
began  working  in  his  father's  banking 
house  when  thirteen  years  of  age,  occu- 
pied a  subordinate  position  until  1885, 
when  the  death  of  his  elder  brother  left 
him  in  practical  control.  He  was  an  able 
financier  and  a  great  banker.  To  him  is 
due  the  world  wide  prominence  of  the 
name  in  connection  with  financial  opera- 
tions. His  great  fortune  was  fairly  earned 
and  was  distributed  with  the  same  fair- 
ness. He  was  a  contemporary  of  George 
W.  Childs,  and  joined  with  him  in  many 
philanthropies,  notablv  the  Childs-Drexel 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Home  for  Printers  in  Colorado.  He  gave 
liberally  to  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania and  founded  the  Drexel  Institute 
in  Philadelphia,  which  he  liberally  en- 
dowed. This  institution  for  the  develop- 
ment of  art,  science  and  technology,  is  one 
of  the  great  practical,  useful  educational 
institutions  of  our  country,  and  has  fully 
justified  the  liberality  of  its  founder,  who 
gave  to  its  upbuilding  and  endowment  a 
sum  in  excess  of  three  millions  of  dollars. 
Mr.  Drexel  died  abroad  in  1893.  His 
statue,  wrought  by  a  famous  sculptor, 
adorns  Fairmount  Park  in  Philadelphia. 
His  wife,  Ellen  Rozet,  was  the  daughter 
of  John  Rozet,  a  wealthy  Philadelphia 
merchant  of  French  descent.  She  was  a 
lady  of  many  accomplishments  and 
beauty  of  character,  rendering  her  a  lead- 
ing social  favorite. 

George  William  Childs  Drexel,  eighth 
child  and  youngest  son  of  Anthony 
Joseph  and  Ellen  (Rozet)  Drexel,  was 
born  in  Philadelphia,  in  1868.  He  bears 
the  name  of  his  father's  intimate  friend, 
George  W.  Childs,  then  owner,  editor  and 
publisher  of  the  "Public  Ledger,"  great- 
est of  all  Philadelphia  journals,  during 
the  life  of  Mr.  Childs.  After  finishing  his 
education  in  private  schools  and  under 
special  tutors,  he  entered  the  employ  of 
Mr.  Childs,  serving  in  various  depart- 
ments, but  chiefly  on  the  reportorial  staflf 
until  1894,  when  on  the  death  of  Mr. 
Childs,  Mr.  Drexel  succeeded  him  in  con- 
trol and  as  editor  and  publisher.  He  con- 
tinued "The  Ledger"  along  the  lines  suc- 
cessfully followed  by  Mr.  Childs,  con- 
tinuing as  active  head  until  1902,  when  he 
sold  his  interests  and  retired  from  the 
world  of  journalism.  Since  that  year  he 
has  devoted  himself  to  his  large  private 
estate,  maintaining  an  office  at  Drexel 
Building,  Philadelphia. 

He  married,  at  Vincentown,  New  Jer- 
sey, November  18,  1891,  Mary  S.  Irick. 
His  city  home  is  at  the  corner  of  Eigh- 


teenth and  Locust  streets,  Philadelphia; 
his  summer  homes,  a  handsome  estate  at 
"Wooton,"  Bryn  Mawr,  Pennsylvania, 
and  at  North  Isleboro,  Maine. 

Member  of  the  New  York  Yacht  Club, 
Corinthian  Yacht  Club  of  Philadelphia, 
Rittenhouse  Club,  Historical  Society  of 
Pennsylvania,  Bryn  Mawr  Polo  Club, 
Philadelphia  Country  Club,  etc. 


KINZER,  Esaias,  M.  D., 

Physician,  Legislator. 

Into  an  active  life  of  fifty-six  years, 
twenty-seven  of  which  were  passed  as 
a  practicing  physician  of  Lancaster 
county,  Pennsylvania,  Dr.  Esaias  Kinzer 
crowded  much  of  professional  and  public 
service,  following  his  calling  with  such 
zeal  and  disregard  of  personal  welfare 
that  he  was  compelled  to  retire  while  in 
age  but  in  the  prime  of  life.  His  promi- 
nence and  popularity  were  not  confined 
to  professional  circles,  but  he  added  to 
his  reputation  as  a  representative  citizen 
by  filling  a  seat  in  the  State  Senate  for 
one  term.  He  was  a  devout  churchman, 
observant  of  his  obligations  to  his  church, 
the  Lutheran,  and  in  every  way  dis- 
charged his  duties  in  relation  to  his  fel- 
lows, by  whom  he  was  regarded  with 
enduring  respect  and  regard. 

Dr.  Esaias  Kinzer  was  born  on  the 
Kinzer  farm  in  East  Earl  township,  Lan- 
caster   county,    Pennsylvania,    December 

4,  1805.  and  died  in  Lancaster,  September 

5,  1861.  He  was  a  grandson  of  Michael 
and  Magdalena  Kinzer,  son  of  George 
Kinzer,  both  his  father  and  grandfather 
having  passed  their  lives  on  the  old 
homestead  in  East  Earl  township. 
George    Kinzer   was   born    February    18, 

1778,  died  November  28,  1834,  pursuing 
agriculture  all  of  his  life.  His  wife  was 
Anna  Margaretta  Ellmaker,  born  May  10, 

1779,  daughter  of  Nathaniel  and  Elizabeth 
Ellmaker,  who  bore  him  issue :     Maria, 


2008 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


born  October  9,  1800,  married  Henry 
Yundt;  Amos  S.,  born  February  23,  1803, 
died  September  5,  1876;  Esaias,  of  whom 
further;  William,  born  September  27. 
1805;  Elizabeth,  born  March  10,  1809, 
married  Aaron  Custer,  of  Pottstown, 
Pennsylvania ;  Nathaniel  E.,  born  August 
10,  1810;  Anna  M.,  born  February  20, 
1812,  married  George  Diller;  Elias,  born 
March  31,  1814;  Caroline,  born  May  11, 
1816;  George  W.,  born  March  27,  1818; 
Harriet  C,  born  December  6,  1821,  mar- 
ried George  Van  Buskirk ;  Levi,  born 
March  13,  1819;  Benjamin,  born  Septem- 
ber 6,  1823. 

Dr.  Esaias  Kinzer  as  a  youth  was  a 
student  in  the  district  schools  in  the  local- 
ity of  his  home,  at  the  same  time  assist- 
ing his  father  in  the  cultivation  of  the 
home  acres.  Deciding  upon  his  profes- 
sional career,  he  first  studied  medicine 
with  Dr.  John  Luther,  of  East  Earl  town- 
ship, Lancaster  county,  subsequently  en- 
rolling in  the  medical  department  of  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania,  whence  he 
was  graduated  M.  D.  in  the  class  of  1829. 
Leacock  township,  Lancaster  county,  was 
for  many  years  the  scene  of  his  profes- 
sional practice,  and  with  the  passing 
years  he  grew  steadily  into  the  confidence 
and  respect  of  the  people  among  whom  he 
lived,  assuming  a  place  in  the  life  of  the 
community  that  spoke  eloquently  of  the 
high  favor  in  which  he  was  held.  His 
political  preference  was  in  favor  of  the 
Whig  party,  and  it  was  as  the  candidate 
of  this  party  that  he  was  elected  to  the 
upper  house  of  the  State  Legislature, 
serving  with  ability  and  honor  for  one 
term. 

Failing  health  caused  Dr.  Kinzer's  re- 
tirement from  professional  labor  in  1856, 
and  he  took  up  his  residence  in  the  city  of 
Lancaster,  where  his  death  occurred  five 
years  afterward.  He  was  a  communicant 
of  the  Lutheran  church.  His  life  was 
spent  in  the  service  of  his  fellows,  with 


the  exception  of  the  short  period  preced- 
ing his  death  when  he  was  physically  un- 
fit for  strenuous  activity,  and  in  this  ser- 
vice he  developed  to  the  full  a  strong  and 
vigorous  manhood,  replete  with  Christian 
virtues.  Dr.  Kinzer  belongs  to  a  gen- 
eration past,  but  the  story  of  his  unselfish 
life  and  upright  character  is  the  legacy  of 
all  who  follow  him. 

He  married  Catherine,  daughter  of 
Henry  Roland,  of  New  Holland,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  had  issue:  Roland,  died  aged 
thirty  years,  and  Anna  M.,  a  resident  of 
Lancaster. 


SMITH,  James, 

Enterprising   Citiren,    Legislator. 

For  sixty-five  years  a  resident  of  Eas- 
ton,  a  period  that  also  covers  practically 
his  entire  residence  in  the  United  States, 
James  Smith  has  lived  a  retired  life  for 
many  years,  his  active  career  covering  a 
long  period  of  enterprise  and  usefulness. 
While  his  business  activities  were  often 
far  removed  from  Easton,  his  interest  in 
the  city  of  his  home  was  so  constantly- 
manifested  in  every  phase  of  its  growth 
and  development  during  his  time  that  he 
has  been  recognized  for  many  years  as 
one  of  the  most  influential  and  useful  of 
its  citizens. 

James  Smith  was  born  in  County 
Meath,  Ireland,  in  1829,  a  son  of  Patrick 
and  Ann  (Carpenter)  Smith.  His  father, 
a  farmer,  gave  him  such  educational  ad- 
vantages as  the  common  schools  of  the 
locality  afforded,  but  his  education  has 
been  mainly  acquired  through  his  own 
efforts,  and  in  the  great  school  of  ex- 
perience. 

At  the  age  of  twenty  years  he  came  to 
this  country  with  his  mother,  landing  in 
New  York  City,  and  in  1850  settled  in 
Easton.  He  learned  the  stone  mason 
trade,  and  in  his  early  life  worked  at  his 
trade  on  the  construction  of  the  railroads 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


then  building  in  this  vicinity.  After  sav- 
ing a  small  capital  he  started  in  business 
as  a  railroad  contractor,  which  he  con- 
tinued with  conspicuous  success  for 
many  years.  Monuments  to  his  enter- 
prise and  skill  in  railroad  construction 
are  found  all  over  the  Eastern  and  Middle 
States,  spanning  the  Susquehanna,  Dela- 
ware, Raritan,  Connecticut,  and  other 
rivers  of  these  states.  He  was  identified 
prominently  with  the  construction  and 
development  of  the  Lehigh  Valley  Rail- 
road, particularly  in  its  early  stages,  and 
executed  many  large  construction  con- 
tracts for  the  Delaware,  Lackawanna  & 
Western  Railroad ;  New  York  Central ; 
New  York,  New  Haven  &  Hartford,  and 
other  railroads.  Thoroughness,  reliabil- 
ity and  integrity  were  the  characteristics 
which  won  him  confidence  and  respect 
in  the  world  of  business,  and  no  man  in 
Easton  is  more  highly  esteemed  and  hon- 
ored than  James  Smith. 

While  he  has  many  holdings  and  in- 
terests in  the  business  section  of  Easton, 
he  devoted  much  of  the  energy  of  his  later 
years  to  the  development  of  South  Eas- 
ton, the  section  in  which  he  resides.  He 
was  instrumental  in  having  constructed 
the  street  which  bears  his  name,  which 
was  so  important  a  factor  in  the  growth 
of  the  South  Side.  He  was  instrumental 
in  the  establishment  of  the  silk  industries 
which  now  exist  there.  The  consolida- 
tion of  Easton  and  South  Easton  is  due 
in  a  large  measure  to  his  individual  ef- 
forts. In  fact  every  project  pertaining 
to  the  advancement  of  the  city  of  Easton 
commanded  his  earnest  and  practical 
support.  He  has  been  a  director  of  the 
Equitable  Securities  Company  of  New 
York,  and  the  Northampton  National 
Bank,  retiring  from  the  latter  on  account 
of  advancing  years  in  favor  of  his  son 
Frederick  F.  Smith.  He  has  been  for 
years  a  director  of  the  Northampton  Fire 
Insurance  Company. 


In  public  life  a  Democrat,  he  was  a 
delegate  to  the  conventions  of  his  party. 
He  served  as  a  member  of  the  town 
council  of  South  Easton ;  was  a  presiden- 
tial elector  on  the  Democratic  ticket  in 
1888;  and  was  a  member  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania House  of  Assembly  in  1890,  serv- 
ing in  all  these  capacities  with  ability  and 
honor.  In  religious  faith  he  is  a  Roman 
Catholic.  He  was  a  man  of  unusually 
wide  knowledge,  a  keen  and  philosophic 
observer  of  men  and  events,  his  outlook 
upon  life  being  informed  by  a  broad  and 
liberal  intelligence. 

He  married,  in  the  fall  of  1858,  Mary 
Sheeran,  and  has  the  following  living 
children :  James  F.  Smith,  Washington, 
D.  C. ;  Ellen  Smith,  Easton,  Pennsyl- 
vania; Mary  Smith,  Easton,  Pennsyl- 
vania ;  Joseph  P.  Smith,  Easton,  Penn- 
sylvania, vice-president  Smith-McCor- 
mick  Company ;  Thomas  R.  Smith,  Eas- 
ton, Pennsylvania ;  Frederick  F.  Smith, 
Easton,  Pennsylvania,  treasurer  Smith- 
McCormick  Company. 

James  F.  Smith,  his  oldest  son,  gradu- 
ate of  the  Easton  High  School  and  Mt. 
St.  Mary's  College,  Emmitsburg,  Mary- 
land. After  a  post-graduate  course  at 
Lafayette  College  he  entered  the  law 
school  of  Georgetown  University,  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
in  1890,  and  since  that  time  has  prac- 
ticed law  in  Washington.  He  is  at  pres- 
ent assistant  corporation  counsel  of  the 
District  of  Columbia,  and  a  member  of 
the  University  Club,  Columbia  Country 
Club,  the  Bar  Association,  and  Carroll 
Institute  of  that  city. 

Joseph  P.  Smith,  born  March,  1870, 
was  educated  in  Easton  private  and  pub- 
lic schools.  He  started  business  with  his 
father  in  1889,  and  has  continued  the  same 
until  the  present  time.  He  is  at  present 
vice-president  of  the  Smith-McCormick 
Company,  director  of  the  Easton  National 
Bank;  has  succeeded  his  father  as  a  man- 


2010 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ager  of  the  Northampton  Fire  Insurance 
Company;  is  president  of  the  Board  of 
Prison  Inspectors,  Northampton  county; 
member  of  managing  board  of  the  Pom- 
fret  Club  ;  member  of  the  Easton  Anglers' 
Association,  Country  Club  (Northampton 
county),  Pennsylvania  Society  of  New 
York  City,  and  the  Northampton  County 
Historical  and  Genealogical  Society. 


FANNING,  Adclbert  Cannedy, 

Itatryer,  Jurist. 

A  true  son  of  Bradford  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, Mr.  Fanning  is  third  generation 
of  the  family  in  Springfield  tovirnship  of 
that  county.  They  date  in  Bradford 
county  from  1812,  a  full  century  having 
elapsed  since  Elisha  (2)  and  Betsey 
(Grace)  Fanning  cleared  and  improved 
the  farm  yet  owned  in  the  family,  their 
home  for  many  years,  and  their  place  of 
death.  Elisha  (2)  was  a  native  of  Mas- 
sachusetts, son  of  Elisha  (2)  Fanning  and 
his  wife  Mary  Button. 

David,  son  of  Elisha  (2)  Fanning  by 
his  first  wife,  Betsey,  was  born  February 
15,  181 1,  and  was  the  last  survivor  of  the 
six  children  of  his  parents.  He  was  born, 
lived  and  died  in  Springfield  township, 
Bradford  county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he 
cleared  and  improved  a  farm  on  which 
he  resided  until  death.  He  married  Aus- 
tis  B.,  daughter  of  Alexander  Cannedy, 
of  Colerain,  Vermont,  also  an  early  set- 
tler of  Springfield  township. 

Adelbert  Cannedy,  the  youngest  of  six 
children  born  to  David  and  Austis  B. 
(Cannedy)  Fanning,  was  born  in  Spring- 
field township,  July  25,  1851.  He  grew 
to  manhood  at  the  home  farm,  attended 
the  public  schools  and  was  graduated  in 
1872  from  Mansfield  State  Normal  School. 
He  began  the  study  of  law  with  Delos 
Rockwell,  of  Troy,  Pennsylvania,  and  H. 
W.  Patrick,  of  Athens,  Pennsylvania, 
then  in  1874  entered  the  law  department 
PEN— Vol  VI— 12  20 


of  Michigan  University  at  Ann  Arbor, 
whence  he  was  graduated  Bachelor  of 
Laws,  class  of  1874;  was  admitted  to  the 
Supreme  Court  of  Michigan,  and  in  Sep- 
tember, 1874,  to  the  Bradford  county 
(Pennsylvania)  bar.  He  at  once  began 
practice  in  Towanda,  Pennsylvania,  form- 
ing a  partnership  with  his  former  in- 
structor, H.  W.  Patrick,  that  lasted  only 
about  one  year.  Mr.  Fanning,  in  the 
fall  of  1875,  located  in  Troy,  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  continued  in  active  pri- 
vate practice  until  1881,  when  he  was 
elected  district  attorney  of  Bradford 
county,  serving  eight  years.  In  Septem- 
ber, 1889,  he  was  appointed  President 
Judge  of  the  Forty-second  Judicial  Dis- 
trict of  Pennsylvania,  to  fill  the  vacancy 
caused  by  the  death  of  Judge  Benjamin 
M.  Peck.  Later  he  was  elected  to  the 
same  office,  beginning  his  term,  January 
I,  1900. 

Judge  Fanning  has  been  for  years  a 
member  of  the  Troy  school  board,  and 
has  been  a  strong  friend  of  the  public 
schools  in  all  his  public  acts  as  well  as  in 
private  influence.  He  is  a  member  of 
Bradford  Bar  Association ;  State  trustee 
of  Mansfield  State  Normal  School ;  trus- 
tee of  the  Robert  Decker  Hospital  of 
Sayre,  Pennsylvania ;  trustee  of  the 
American  Historical  and  of  the  Bradford 
Historical  societies,  the  Westmoreland 
Club  of  Wilkes-Barre,  and  the  Ontario 
Glee  Club  of  Towanda.  He  is  prominent 
in  the  Masonic  order,  belonging  to  Mor- 
gan Lodge,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons ; 
Troy  Chapter,  Royal  Arch  Masons ; 
Northern  Commandery,  Knights  Tempn 
lar;  and  Irem  Temple,  Nobles  of  the 
Mystic  Shrine.  In  the  Scottish  Rite  he 
has  attained  the  thirty-second  degree,  be- 
longing to  Towanda  Lodge  of  Perfection  ; 
Harden  Council,  Princes  of  Jerusalem ; 
Calvary  Chapter  of  Rose  Croix ;  and  Wil- 
liamsport  Consistory,  Princes  of  the 
Royal  Secret.  Judge  Fanning  is  a  Re- 
1 1 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


publican  in  politics,  and  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church. 

He  married,  April  i6,  1885,  Jennie  E., 
daughter  of  Edward  E.  and  Louisa  (Bal- 
lard) Loomis,  of  Troy,  Pennsylvania. 
Children:  Adelbert  Carl,  born  August  12, 
1886,  and  Pauline  Frances,  born  August 
15,  1890.  The  family  home  is  in  Towan- 
da,  where  Judge  Fanning  is  held  in  high- 
est esteem  as  a  citizen,  lawyer  and  jurist. 


REIMER,  William, 

Enterprising  Citizen,  Public  Official. 

The  family  of  William  Reimer  is  an 
old  one,  of  noble  descent,  the  progenitor 
being  a  knight,  Hanz,  called  the  "rhy- 
mer," who  lived  in  Lower  Saxony,  A.  D., 
1 195.  By  his  bravery  and  rare  gift  at 
rhyme,  beautiful  songs  and  ballads,  he 
found  great  favor  with  the  Roman  Em- 
peror of  the  German  nation,  Friedrich 
Barbarossa.  Also,  because  of  this  gift 
of  rhyme,  he  was  called  Hanz,  der 
Reimer  (rhymer),  and  as  this  name  was 
widely  known  and  well  respected,  his 
progeny  adopted  it  as  their  surname.  To 
this  same  Hanz,  der  Reimer,  the  Emperor 
Friedrich  also  granted  armorial  bearings, 
and  he  was  permitted  to  drape  his  es- 
cutcheon with  the  robe  of  the  Princess  of 
Hahenstaffen.  He  accompanied  the  Em- 
peror during  all  his  expeditions  in  Asia, 
Italy,  etc.,  and  by  him  was  vested  with 
several  large  and  valuable  estates,  viz : 
Walmeroth,  Munkenthal,  Puslinger,  in 
Suevia.  He  left  four  sons :  Frederick, 
Hanz,  Cornelius  and  Richard,  who  all  as- 
sumed the  name  of  Reimer.  Of  these 
four  sons,  three  inherited  the  estates  of 
their  father  ;  Hanz,  in  Suevia  ;  while  Fred- 
erick took  possession  of  the  estate  in 
Parchingen,  in  Lower  Saxony,  which  was 
the  dower  of  his  mother,  Abel  von  For- 
menten.  In  this  way  the  different  line- 
ages of  the  family  came  into  existence, 
the  sons  of  Hanz  calling  themselves  after 


their  estates,  viz :  Reimer  von  Walm- 
eroth, Reimer  von  Munkenthal,  Reimer 
von  Puslinger,  Reimer  von  Parchingen. 
Among  the  knights  of  Suevia  and  Lower 
Saxony  were  many  members  of  the 
Reimer  family  who  were  well  known  on 
account  of  their  good  qualities  and  illus- 
trious deeds ;  for  example,  Frederick,  der 
Reimer,  von  Parchingen,  who  was  a 
gentleman  of  the  equerry  to  Count 
Adolph  von  Sohaneburg,  and  under  him 
participated  in  the  battle  of  Barnhaeven, 
A.  D.,  1227,  against  the  Danes,  where  he 
made  the  Danish  Duke  of  Bentinoke,  of 
Erisland,  a  prisoner.  Another  member  of 
the  family,  Oswald  by  name,  in  the  year 
1395,  in  recognition  of  important  services 
rendered  by  him  against  the  Swedes,  was 
elevated  by  Margaret,  Queen  of  Den- 
mark, to  a  Danish  baronage,  and  was 
invested  with  the  insignia  of  Danesburg. 
The  progeny  of  Oswald,  A.  D.,  1725,  were 
living  on  their  large  estate  in  Norway. 
One  of  them,  Jasmund  Reimer,  was  com- 
mander of  Bergen.  One  of  the  members 
of  the  family  from  Suevia  was  Antonius 
Reimer  von  Bilingen,  who  was  in  1609 
Abbot  Prior  of  the  Abbey  of  Parishern ; 
and  another  was  George  Sixtus  Reimer 
von  Munkenthal  who  in  1590  was  chan- 
cellor of  the  empire  under  Emperor  Fred- 
erick. About  this  time  the  family  of 
Reimer  von  Walmeroth  became  extinct. 
The  son  of  the  above  named  Sixtus 
Reimer,  Walbert  Reimer  von  Munken- 
thal, a  brother-in-law  to  the  celebrated 
Goetz  von  Berlichingen,  was  proscribed 
by  Emperor  Maximilian,  together  with 
Goetz,  for  revolt  and  breach  of  the  land. 
Munkenthal,  being  an  imperial  gift,  was 
confiscated  by  the  Emperor.  Adelbert 
Reimer  von  Munkenthal  was  so  incensed 
at  this  that  he  enrolled  soldiers  and 
marched  towards  Regenbergm  for  the 
purpose  of  intercepting  and  murdering 
the  Emperor.  His  plot  was  betrayed,  and 
Knight  George  Truchiess  von  Waldberg, 


-V  ii,^/^ita'/&,«,,  ^Br„  fn^ 


^.-unveyj^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF   BIOGRAPHY 


head  of  the  knights  of  Suevia,  with  one 
hundred  troops  surprised  him  and  his 
men,  and  brought  him  a  prisoner  before 
the  Emperor,  who  at  first  condemned  him 
to  death,  subsequently,  yielding  to  the  so- 
licitations of  the  families  of  Von  Hutten 
and  Von  Sickingen,  he  pardoned  him,  but 
deprived  him  of  all  the  privileges  of 
knighthood,  had  his  name  nailed  to  the 
gallows,  his  sword  broken  by  the  execu- 
tioner, and  his  right  hand  cut  ofif.  In 
consequence  of  this  terrible  punishment 
the  family  of  Reimer  von  Munkenthal  de- 
clined, and  the  members  found  shelter  in 
various  free  cities,  where  they  engaged  in 
different  business  pursuits.  The  family 
of  Reimer  von  Pfilengen  became  extinct 
by  the  death  of  the  above  mentioned 
member,  Abbot  Antoinus,  A.  D.,  1609.  In 
our  days  we  find  members  of  the  Reimer 
family  scattered  and  settled  over  almost 
all  parts  of  Germany  ("European  Office 
and  General  Calendar,  at  Vienna."  vol. 
285). 

(The  Reimer  Family   in   America). 

Dr.  John  Christian  Reimer  was  born  at 
Michelbacli,  Kingdom  of  Wuertemberg, 
Germany,  April  19,  1786.  He  married 
(first)  August  I,  1814,  Charlotte  Mickel, 
who  was  born  at  Ober-Ingelheim,  near 
Mainz,  May  29,  1783,  and  died  October 
II,  1817.  Issue:  Carl,  who  was  born 
June  28,  1816,  afterwards  lived  with  his 
grandfather,  Frederick  Mickel,  at  Ober- 
Ingelheim.  Dr.  John  Christian  Reimer 
emigrated  to  America  in  the  year  1818. 
He  married  (second)  August  8,  1819, 
Barbara  Rebecca  Schithe,  who  was  born 
April  II,  1799,  at  Bretzburg,  Canton 
Aargau,  Switzerland.  They  had  issue : 
VVilhelmina,  born  in  1820,  died  in  1849, 
married  Charles  Lieberman  ;  Louisa,  born 
in  1821,  died  in  1840;  Wilhelm,  of  further 
mention;  Caroline,  born  in  1825,  died  in 
1893,  married  Stephen  Smith  ;  B.  Frank- 
lin, born  in  1826,  died  in  1899;  Ludwig, 
born  in  1828,  died  in  1906;  Amanda,  born 


in  1830,  died  in  1834;  Augustus,  born  in 
1832,  married  Carrie  Haas,  and  lives  at 
No.  805  North  Broad  street,  Philadelphia ; 
Priscilla,  born  in  1835,  died  in  1840; 
Emma,  born  in  1837,  died  in  1900,  mar- 
ried John  Haas;  G.  Washington,  born  in 
1839,  died  in  1840;  Ann  Eliza,  born  in 
1841,  died  in  1842. 

Dr.  Reimer  had  studied  medicine  in  his 
native  country.  After  his  coming  to 
America  he  first  lived  in  one  of  the 
counties  near  Philadelphia,  subsequently 
removing  into  the  "City  of  Brotherly 
Love,"  where  he  practiced  successfully 
until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1845. 
He  is  buried  in  Mount  Peace  Cemetery, 
Philadelphia,  by  the  side  of  his  wife. 

William  (Wilhelm)  Reimer,  eldest 
child  of  Dr.  John  Christian  and  Barbara 
Rebecca  (Schithe)  Reimer,  was  born  in 
Berks  county,  Pennsylvania,  March  18, 
1823,  and  died  suddenly  while  in  a  street 
parade,  August  22,  1888.  He  was  reared 
and  educated  in  Philadelphia.  When  his 
text  books  were  laid  aside  he  learned  the 
barber's  trade,  and  subsequently  located 
in  Allentown,  Pennsylvania,  where  he 
practiced  his  vocation  on  Hamilton 
street.  He  also  established  the  Allen- 
town  News  Agency,  and  became  a  factor 
in  the  Democratic  party,  and  in  the  year 
1859  was  elected  county  treasurer  of  Le- 
high county,  serving  until  1861.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  Masonic  fraternity,  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and 
the  Knights  of  Pythias.  His  life  motto 
was  "The  Golden  Rule." 

Mr.  Reimer  married,  November  17, 
1843,  Sophia  Rothrock,  born  in  Heller- 
town,  Pennsylvania,  died  August  14.  1873. 
They  had  the  following  named  children : 
George  W.,  born  in  1844,  died  at  Allen- 
town  in  1897;  Charles  C,  born  in  1845, 
died  in  Allentown  in  1896;  Thomas  J., 
born  in  1846,  died  in  1909,  was  in  the 
postal  service ;  Benjamin  F.,  born  in  1848. 
died  in  1899;  Mary  E.,  born  in  185 1  ;  John 
2013 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


A.,  born  in  1858,  died  in  1894;  Lillian  S., 
born  in  1861,  died  July  6,  1908,  married 
Henry  Snyder,  had  children:  Thomas 
W.,  of  South  Bethlehem,  who  married 
Lillian  Stoudt,  and  Harold  G. 

Mr.  Reimer  was  a  man  of  generous  im- 
pulse, a  producer  and  giver,  but  it  re- 
mained for  his  daughter,  Mary  E.  Reimer, 
a  native  of  Allentown,  who  became  house- 
keeper for  her  family,  caring  for  her 
father  in  his  declining  years,  also  her 
brothers  and  sisters,  to  carry  out  his 
ideas.  She  possesses  business  qualifica- 
tions and  industry  beyond  the  average 
woman,  which  have  resulted  in  the  pur- 
chasing of  valuable  property  and  the  earn- 
ing of  a  comfortable  income  and  inde- 
pendence. She  owns  a  farm  at  Snyders- 
ville  and  considerable  valuable  real  estate 
in  Allentown,  occupying  the  Reimer 
homestead  at  No.  640  Linden  street  since 
1881.  Miss  Reimer  is  a  member  of  the 
Reformed  church,  has  also  been  endowed 
with  a  generous  heart,  and  is  deeply  in- 
terested in  church  work  and  various 
charities. 


MASSON,  Monsignor  Peter, 

Roman  Catholic  Clergyman. 

Of  German  birth  and  educated  in  for- 
eign institutions  for  the  priesthood  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  church,  Monsignor 
Peter  Masson's  first  charge  was  a  Phil- 
adelphia church,  and  for  seven  years  he 
labored  in  the  Pennsylvania  field.  In 
1899,  because  of  exceptionally  high  scho- 
lastic standing  and  demonstrated  ability, 
he  was  called  to  the  vice-rectorship  of  the 
American  College  at  Louvain,  Belgium. 
After  eight  years  passed  in  this  connec- 
tion. Father  Masson,  at  his  own  request, 
was  permitted  to  return  to  America  and 
to  resume  his  work  in  the  field  that  he 
bad  left  in  deference  to  the  wishes  of 
the  church  leaders,  and  since  that  time 
has  filled  charges  in  Pennsylvania.    Upon 

20 


the  death  of  Rev.  Joseph  Nerz,  in  191 1, 
Father  Masson  was  appointed  rector  of 
Church  of  the  Sacred  Heart,  a  German 
parish,  of  Allentown,  Pennsylvania,  and 
there  continues  to  this  time.  While  rec- 
tor of  this  parish,  high  ecclesiastical 
honor  has  come  to  him  in  recognition  of 
the  splendid  work  he  has  accomplished, 
both  in  this  and  other  parishes,  and  after 
his  appointment  as  Rural  Vicar  of  Le- 
high and  Northampton  counties,  he  was, 
on  June  14,  1914,  made  Domestic  Prelate 
of  His  Holiness,  with  the  title  of  Mon- 
signor, his  authority  extending  to  all  the 
foreign  speaking  churches,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  Italian,  of  his  district. 

Monsignor  Peter  Masson  was  born  at 
Stadtkyll,  near  Treves,  Germany,  July  31, 
1867,  and  until  he  was  twelve  years  of  age 
attended  the  schools  of  his  birthplace.  At 
this  age  he  entered  St.  Albert's  College, 
Venloo,  Holland,  afterward  entering  the 
Gymnasium  at  Treves,  Germany,  where 
he  studied  until  graduating  from  the 
course  in  which  he  had  enrolled.  He 
subsequently  pursued  philosophical  study 
in  the  Seminary  at  St.  Trond,  Belgium, 
and  completed  his  theological  studies  at 
the  American  College,  Louvain,  Belgium. 
From  his  first  attendance  at  school  he 
had  distinguished  himself  as  a  student, 
and  during  his  stay  at  the  American  Col- 
lege, with  the  real  work  of  life  close  at 
hand,  applied  himself  so  faithfully  to  his 
studies  that  he  led  his  fellows  by  a  wide 
margin,  examinations  and  interrogations 
disclosing  his  complete  mastery  of  theo- 
logical subjects.  This  course,  of  three 
years'  duration,  did  not  end  until  the 
summer  of  1892,  but  on  September  19, 
1891,  he  was  ordained  for  the  archdiocese 
of  Philadelphia,  the  ordination  of  his 
classmates  not  occurring  until  several 
months  later.  Before  taking  up  the  du- 
ties to  which  he  had  been  assigned,  he 
added  to  his  excellent  preparation  for 
priestly  activity  by  a  post-graduate 
14 


^  ^^VIMHHI 

I^^IHI 

^^Pl 

shbh^^I 

H^B    -^v^ 

ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


course  in  the  University  of  Louvain,  and 
on  September  i,  nearly  a  year  after  his 
ordination,  was  called  to  Philadelphia, 
where  he  was  duly  installed  as  curate  of 
St.  Alphonsus'  German  Catholic  Church. 
For  two  years  he  remained  with  this 
congregation,  his  next  charge  being  as 
pastor  of  the  Church  of  Our  Lady  of 
Mount  Carmel,  at  Minersville,  Pennsyl- 
vania. In  the  five  years  that  he  led  this 
congregation  there  was  a  noticeable 
quickening  of  the  spiritual  life  of  the  par- 
ish which  had  its  reflection  in  the  mate- 
rial advance  made  in  that  time,  a  new 
church  being  built  and  the  school  and 
parsonage  enlarged.  Another  of  his  works 
of  this  period  was  the  building  of  a  new 
church  at  Newtown,  Schuylkill  county, 
Pennsylvania. 

On  July  i6,  1899,  Father  Masson  was 
appointed  vice-rector  of  the  American 
College,  at  Louvain,  Belgium,  his  com- 
mission coming  from  the  late  Cardinal 
Ledochowski,  Prefect  of  the  Propaganda. 
Sincere  sorrow  marked  the  hours  of  his 
departure,  for  his  earnest,  devoted  pur- 
pose and  unselfish  life  had  endeared  him 
to  the  hearts  of  his  parishioners.  Enter- 
ing upon  the  discharge  of  his  vice-rec- 
torial obligations  at  the  college  in  the  fol- 
lowing month,  new  duties  soon  rested 
upon  his  shoulders,  and  in  addition  to 
filling  the  office  of  vice-rector,  there  fell 
to  his  lot  the  stewardship  and  the  teach- 
ing of  the  classes  in  pastoral  theology  and 
liturgy.  With  characteristic  vigor  and 
energy  he  applied  himself  to  his  burden- 
ing tasks,  his  thorough  training  and  fine 
scholarship  ample  qualifications  for  his 
important  place.  He  passed  his  vacation 
in  1902  in  a  visit  to  his  friends  and  former 
parishioners  in  the  United  States,  and  at 
the  end  of  his  eighth  year  in  association 
with  the  American  College  he  requested 
that  he  be  once  more  assigned  to  a  church 
in  the  United  States.  The  necessary  per- 
mission was  granted  and  he  at  once  set 


sail  for  Philadelphia,  being  appointed,  on 
January  4,  1908,  by  Archbishop  Ryan, 
pastor  of  the  church  at  Lansdale,  Penn- 
sylvania. At  Lansdale  he  established  a 
school  and  built  a  new  parsonage,  and 
from  that  place  as  a  center  conducted 
work  in  the  outlying  districts,  enlarging 
the  churches  of  Sellersville  and  Quaker- 
town,  and  organizing  a  new  congregation 
with  a  resident  pastor  at  Quaktertown, 
October  18,  1908.  At  the  end  of  little  over 
two  years,  a  space  of  time  marked  by  the 
most  strenuous  of  successful  effort,  he 
was  appointed  to  St.  Joseph's  German 
parish  at  Mauch  Chunk  (East),  and  took 
charge  of  that  parish  April  4,  1910.  Dur- 
ing his  short  stay  in  this  place  he  caused 
the  remodeling  of  the  rectory  and  beau- 
tified the  church,  and  while  pastor  of 
St.  Joseph's  was  appointed  by  His  Grace. 
Archbishop  Ryan.  Archiepiscopal  Com- 
missarv  for  the  Archdiocese  of  Philadel- 
phia. 

The  death  of  Rev.  Joseph  Nerz,  pastor 
of  the  German  parish  of  the  Sacred  Heart, 
of  Allentown,  Pennsylvania,  in  the  spring 
of  191 1  caused  a  vacancy  that  Father 
Masson  was  summoned  to  fill,  and  he  has 
since  been  the  active  head  of  this  church. 
Under  his  direction  the  church  was  re- 
built and  its  interior  tastefully  enriched 
with  appropriate  pieces  of  statuary  and 
other  decorations,  the  basement  also  be- 
ing renovated  and  now  in  use  as  a  chapel 
for  mid-week  services. 

A  free  school  was  established  under 
his  direction,  which  has  now  an  attend- 
ance of  825  pupils.  A  new  convent  was 
also  required  in  May,  191 2,  for  the 
teachers  of  the  school,  the  Sisters  of  St. 
Francis.  The  tireless  pastor  did  not  for- 
get the  sick  of  his  flock ;  eight  Mission- 
ary Sisters  of  the  Sacred  Heart  were  in- 
vited June  15,  1912,  to  locate  in  Allen- 
town,  to  nurse  the  sick  of  the  poor  in 
their  private  homes;  to  them  he  gave  the 
pastoral  residence.    On  October  20,  191 3. 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


he  purchased  the  handsome  residence  and 
park  of  the  late  Hon.  Edward  Harvey, 
which  will  be  converted  into  a  non-sec- 
tarian hospital,  known  as  the  Sacred 
Heart  Hospital,  Allentown. 

Not  long  after  his  appointment  to  the 
pastorship  he  was  made  Rural  Vicar  for 
Lehigh  and  Northampton  counties,  and 
in  June,  1914,  was  appointed  Domestic 
Prelate  of  His  Holiness,  with  the  title 
of  Monsignor.  In  every  relation  to  the 
church,  Monsignor  Masson  has  complete- 
ly fulfilled  the  confidence  reposed  in  him, 
and  while  showing  his  fitness  for  the  posi- 
tion he  filled,  has  displayed  talents 
worthy  of  further  honor,  talents  that  won 
him  his  promotion  to  his  present  high 
office.  His  dignity  is  not  the  false  hau- 
teur of  high  position,  but  the  simple  dig- 
nity that  is  born  of  service  and  striving 
for  one's  fellows,  and  although  his  pres- 
ence graces  any  gathering  of  scholars  and 
church  dignitaries,  those  who  know  him 
best  love  him  best  as  he  works  from  day 
to  day  with  the  people  of  his  parish, 
sympathetic,  courageous,  and  friendly. 
As  has  been  said,  Monsignor  Masson  is 
a  man  of  unusual  scholastic  standing, 
and  speaks  several  languages  with 
fluency  and  exactness.  Progressive  ac- 
tivity and  an  insatiable  appetite  for  labor 
increase  his  value  as  a  pastor  and  church 
officer. 


MOFFAT,  James  David, 

Clergyman,    College   President. 

In  the  foremost  rank  of  the  educators 
of  the  United  States  stands  the  Rev. 
James  David  Mofifat,  D.  D.,  LL.  D.,  presi- 
dent of  Washington  and  Jefiferson  Col- 
lege, Washington,  Pennsylvania,  from 
18S2-1915.  Thirty-three  years  Dr.  Mof- 
fat has  been  head  of  this  noble  institu- 
tion, its  great  advancement  during  that 
period  furnishing  the  most  convincing 
testimony  to  his  able  leadership. 


John  Mof¥at,  father  of  James  David 
Mofifat,  was  born  January  i,  1816,  in  Scot- 
land, and  in  1837  emigrated  to  the  United 
States.  Having  been  in  his  own  country 
a  shepherd  lad,  he  landed  on  the  shores 
of  the  New  World  well-nigh  destitute  of 
pecuniary  resources,  and,  with  the  sturdy 
independence  characteristic  of  his  race, 
engaged  in  any  kind  of  honest  labor  he 
could  find,  working  for  a  short  time  in  a 
stone  quarry  in  New  York  State,  and  for 
a  few  weeks  on  the  Erie  canal,  near 
Rochester,  New  York.  He  eventually 
found  his  way  to  Columbiana  county, 
Ohio,  and  to  the  neighborhood  of  Home- 
worth,  then  called  Middle  Sandy,  where 
he  was  employed  on  farms  during  the 
summers  and  during  the  winter  months 
taught  the  country  schools  of  the  vicin- 
ity. 

Later  it  became  the  cherished  purpose 
of  this  earnest  young  man  to  fit  himself 
for  the  work  of  the  ministry,  and  with 
this  end  in  view,  he  removed,  after  much 
private  study,  to  the  county  seat.  New 
Lisbon,  where  he  opened  a  private  school, 
continuing,  meanwhile,  his  theological 
studies  under  the  guidance  of  the  Rev. 
Dr.  A.  O.  Patterson,  pastor  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church.  The  home  and  also  the 
school  of  Mr.  MoiTat  were  in  the  hos- 
pitable residence  of  Dr.  John  McCook, 
whose  children  and  their  cousins  were 
among  his  pupils,  many  of  whom  have 
achieved  distinction  in  the  army  and  the 
church  and  at  the  bar.  After  completing 
his  preparation  Mr.  Moffat  accepted  a 
call  to  the  Presbyterian  church  of  St. 
Clairsville,  Belmont  county,  Ohio,  where 
he  spent  fourteen  years  of  unwearied  ef- 
fort and  signal  usefulness.  He  was  then 
for  a  time  pastor  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  in  Bellaire,  Ohio,  and  in  1863  ac- 
cepted a  call  to  the  Second  Presbyterian 
Church,  of  Wheeling,  West  Virginia. 

While  teaching  in  the  country  schools 
of  Columbiana  county  Mr.  Moffat  had  as 
)i6 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BlOGRAl^lY 


a  pupil  Mary  Ann  McNeelan,  daughter 
of  a  well-to-do  farmer.  This  young  wo- 
man became  eventually  the  wife  of  her  in- 
structor and  proved  herself  a  most  devoted 
helpmate,  aiding  and  inspiring  her  hus- 
band during  his  early  struggles  and  ably 
cooperating  with  his  efforts  in  the  years 
that  followed.  During  the  closing  years 
of  his  life,  while  suffering  from  impaired 
health,  Mr.  Moflfat  had  the  great  and  sat- 
isfying joy  of  being  assisted  in  his  labors 
by  his  son,  James  David  Moflfat,  who 
gave  to  this  work  some  of  the  best  years 
of  his  early  manhood.  Mr.  Moflfat  passed 
away  December  i6,  1875,  leaving  the  rec- 
ord of  a  strong,  purposeful,  self-denying 
life  consecrated  to  the  service  of  human- 
ity— a  life  which  may  well  serve  as  an 
inspiration  to  generations  of  his  descend- 
ants. 

Rev.  James  David  Moflfat,  son  of  John 
and  Mary  Ann  (McNeelan)  Moflfat,  was 
born  March  15,  1846,  at  the  home  of  Dr. 
John  McCook,  in  New  Lisbon,  Colum- 
biana county,  Ohio,  receiving  the  name 
of  James  in  memory  of  his  paternal 
grandfather,  and  that  of  David  out  of 
regard  for  David  Little,  a  very  dear 
Scotch  friend  in  Middle  Sandy.  James 
David  was  but  a  year  old  when  his  par- 
ents moved  to  St.  Clairsville,  and  it  was 
there  that  he  received  his  common  school 
education,  acquiring  at  the  same  time  al- 
most enough  Latin  to  admit  him  to  col- 
lege. During  the  two  years  spent  in  Bel- 
laire,  the  first  winter  saw  him  a  pupil 
in  the  high  school,  and  the  second  a 
teacher  in  a  country  school  in  the  Rock 
Hill  district,  where  the  youthful  instruc- 
tor had  pupils  older  than  himself.  It 
was,  doubtless,  under  these  trying  cir- 
cumstances, which  would  have  proved  too 
severe  a  test  for  the  average  youth,  that 
Dr.  Moflfat  developed  that  gift  for  im- 
parting knowledge  and  that  rare  talent 
for  leadership  which  rendered  his  future 


work  as  an  educator  so  exceptionally  suc- 
cessful. 

When  his  father  accepted  the  call  to 
the  pastorate  at  Wheeling,  Dr.  Moflfat 
took  a  course  in  a  business  school  and  for 
a  short  time  was  bookkeeper  in  a  store. 
During  the  winter  of  1864-65  he  taught  a 
school  in  the  same  district  in  Columbi- 
ana county,  in  which  his  father  a  quarter 
of  a  century  before  had  been  a  teacher. 
It  was  at  this  time  that  he  began  the 
study  of  Greek,  in  the  hope  that  he  might 
enter  college  the  following  September — 
a  hope  which  was  realized  by  his  becom- 
ing a  member  of  the  freshman  class  of 
Washington  and  Jeflferson  College.  In 
1869  he  graduated  and  entered  Princeton 
Theological  Seminary,  but  at  the  close  of 
his  second  year,  when  ready  to  be 
licensed,  his  father  was  stricken  with 
paralysis,  and  the  son  was  invited  to  fill 
the  pulpit  until  September,  which  he  did, 
expecting  to  return  to  Princeton  for  his 
last  year  in  the  seminary.  His  father, 
however,  not  recovering  as  had  been 
hoped,  he  continued  to  supply  the  pulpit, 
and  was  finally  called  to  the  co-pastorate. 
This  event  changed  the  current  of  his 
life.  Abandoning  his  intention  of  return- 
ing to  the  seminary,  he  accepted  the  call, 
and  on  May  8,  1873.  was  ordained,  being 
at  the  same  time  installed  as  his  father's 
co-worker  in  the  ministry. 

After  the  death  of  his  father,  Dr.  Mof- 
fat remained  as  pastor  until  December, 

1881,  when  he  was  elected  to  the  presi- 
dency of  his  alma  mater.     On  January  4, 

1882,  he  entered  upon  the  discharge  of 
the  duties  of  that  office  which  he  has  ever 
since  filled  with  such  distinguished  abil- 
ity. The  great  increase  in  the  number  of 
students  and  the  wonderful  progress  in 
every  department  are  due  largely  to  the 
ceaseless  toil  of  Dr.  Moflfat  and  to  his 
phenomenal  talent  as  a  leader  no  less 
than  as  an    instructor.     He  realizes,    in 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


fact,  the  ideal  of  the  college  president, 
having  the  hearty  good  will  and  coopera- 
tion not  only  of  his  faculty,  but  also  of 
the  students — which  latter  condition  is 
the  real  test  of  the  head  of  a  college.  The 
attention  attracted  by  the  success  of  his 
work  has  not  been  limited  by  the  boun- 
daries of  Pennsylvania,  but  has  extended 
throughout  the  United  States.  During 
his  presidency  the  property  and  endow- 
ment of  the  college  have  been  increased 
by  about  a  million  dollars. 

In  1882  Dr.  Moflfat  received  from  Han- 
over College,  Indiana,  the  degree  of  Doc- 
tor of  Divinity,  and  the  following  year 
the  same  degree  was  conferred  upon  him 
by  the  College  of  New  Jersey  (Prince- 
ton University).  He  received  the  de- 
gree of  Doctor  of  Laws  from  the  West- 
ern University,  in  1901  from  the  Univer- 
sity of  Pennsylvania,  and  in  1906  from 
the  Missouri  Valley  College.  A  ripe 
scholar  and  a  man  of  widest  reading,  he 
is  withal  tremendously  earnest  and  tre- 
mendously intense,  keeping  himself  ab- 
solutely abreast  of  the  times  and  having 
an  intimate  knowledge  of  men  and  of  the 
best  thought  of  the  day. 

In  1894  Dr.  Moffat  became  one  of  the 
editorial  contributors  to  the  "Presbyte- 
rian Banner,"  and  in  1900  one  of  its  edi- 
tors and  directors.  In  every  cause  in  be- 
half of  which  he  wields  his  pen  he  exerts 
the  influence  of  a  forceful  and  brilliant 
writer.  In  1888  he  represented  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  North  in  the  Presbyte- 
rian Alliance  in  London,  and  again  in 
Liverpool,  in  1904,  on  the  latter  occasion 
reading  a  paper  on  the  "Rights  and 
Limits  of  Biblical  Criticism."  In  1898, 
when  the  two  hundred  and  fiftieth  anni- 
versary of  the  Westminster  Confession 
was  celebrated  in  many  places.  Dr.  Mof- 
fat delivered  addresses  at  Princeton  Sem- 
inary, in  New  York,  before  the  Social 
Union,  at  McCormick  Seminary,  Chicago, 

201 


and  before  the  General  Assembly  meet- 
ing at  Winona  Lake,  Indiana.  The  ex- 
tremely able  paper  on  "The  Fundamental 
Doctrines  of  the  Confession"  which  he 
lead  on  the  last-named  occasions  was 
published  in  a  volume  containing  the 
other  addresses  delivered  at  the  meet- 
ing. Dr.  Moffat  is  distinguished  no  less 
as  a  speaker  than  as  a  writer,  his  fine 
delivery  and  classical  language  being  per- 
vaded by  an  earnestness  and  sincerity 
that  never  fail  to  carry  conviction  with 
them.  On  no  fewer  than  four  occasions 
Dr.  Moft'at  has  represented  his  presby- 
terj-  in  the  General  Assembly,  taking  a 
prominent  part  in  the  revision  of  the 
Confession  of  Faith  in  the  meetings  in 
Philadelphia  in  1901,  and  in  New  York 
in  1902.  At  the  meeting  at  Winona  Lake. 
in  1905,  he  was  exalted  to  the  position 
of  Moderator  of  the  General  Assembly  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  of  North  Amer- 
ica— the  highest  office  the  church  can  be- 
stow. 

Dr.  Moffat  married,  September  6,  1876, 
Elizabeth  Dalzell,  daughter  of  Henry 
Crangle,  of  Wheeling,  West  Virginia,  and 
they  are  the  parents  of  the  following 
children:  Harriet  Crangle;  Margaret 
Blanche;  and  James  David.  By  this  mar- 
riage Dr.  Moffat  gained  the  life  compan- 
ionship of  a  charming  and  congenial  wo- 
man, one  of  those  rare  women  who  com- 
bine with  perfect  womanliness  and  do- 
mesticity an  unerring  judgment,  traits 
which  make  her  truly  an  ideal  helpmate. 
Both  by  native  gifts  and  the  advantages 
of  a  thorough  education  Mrs.  Moffat  is 
singularly  fitted  for  the  exacting  duties 
of  the  prominent  social  position  she  has 
been  called  upon  to  fill.  Dr.  Moffat  is  a 
man  of  genial  nature  and  a  magnetic  per- 
sonality and  both  he  and  his  wife  are 
extremely  popular  in  the  social  circles  of 
Washington,  and  also  in  those  of  Pitts- 
burgh and  other  large  cities  of  the  East. 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF   BIOGRAPHY 


The  future  of  a  nation  is  largely  in  the 
hands  of  its  educators.  Happy  is  it  for 
any  people  when  the  responsibility  is 
committed  to  such  men  as  James  David 
Moffat. 


FRANTZ,  Andrew  F., 

Prominent  Stock   Dealer,   Financier. 

The  members  of  the  old  Mennonite 
family  of  Frantz  have  in  Lancaster 
county,  Pennsylvania,  placed  to  the  credit 
of  the  name  a  record  of  honorable  and 
useful  life  in  its  American  home.  In 
many  instances  preferring  the  peaceful 
pursuit  of  agriculture,  the  field  of  busi- 
ness has  likewise  claimed  numerous 
members  of  the  family,  and  to  this  latter 
class  belongs  Andrew  F.  Frantz,  of  Lan- 
caster, member  of  the  firm  of  Dunlap 
and  Frantz.  Since  1738  resident  in  Lan- 
caster county,  the  institutions  of  the  lo- 
cality that  have  grown  up  since  that  date 
have  uniformly  been  benefited  by  the 
wise  judgment  and  firm  executive  power 
of  those  bearing  the  name  Frantz,  and 
in  the  march  of  progress  and  improve- 
ment they  have  ever  been  well  in  the 
van.  One  of  the  most  noteworthy  ex- 
amples of  this  faithful  service  to  a  Lan- 
caster county  institution  is  in  the  long 
and  valued  connection  of  Jacob  M. 
Frantz,  father  of  Andrew  F.  Frantz,  with 
the  Millersville  State  Normal  School, 
with  which  he  was  identified  as  trustee 
for  more  than  fifty  years,  a  record  equalled 
by  his  brother,  Andrew  M.  Frantz. 
The  close  relation  of  the  family  with  this 
excellent  institution  is  continued  through 
Andrew  F.  Frantz,  who  succeeds  his 
father  and  uncle  as  a  member  of  the  board 
of  trustees. 

The  migration  of  Jacob  Frantz,  a  native 
of  Alsace,  France,  from  the  land  of  his 
birth  was  in  all  probability  caused  by  his 
adoption   of  a   religious   creed   that   met 


with  the  disapproval  of  the  reigning 
house,  and  the  persecution,  violent  and 
unceasing,  visited  upon  such  a  "heretic." 
He  sought  asylum  first  in  Holland  and 
permanent  relief  from  oppression  on  re- 
ligious grounds  in  America,  whither  he 
came  on  the  ship  "Elizabeth,"  sailing 
from  Rotterdam  in  1738.  Arriving  in 
Pennsylvania,  he  settled  at  once  in  Man- 
heim  township,  Lancaster  county,  and  be- 
gan earning  a  livelihood  at  his  trade,  that 
of  shoemaker,  after,  when  he  had  ac- 
quired title  to  land,  adding  agricultural 
pursuits  to  his  activities,  his  farm  being 
near  Oregon.  He  was  the  father  of 
Jacob  (2)  Frantz,  born  in  1755,  died  in 
1799,  who  married  (first)  a  Miss  Hostet- 
ter,  (second)  Maria  Nissley,  and  through 
whom  the  line  to  Andrew  F.  Frantz  con- 
tinues. 

Christian  Frantz,  son  of  Jacob  (2)  and 
Maria  (Nissley)  Frantz,  was  born  June 
23,  1797,  and  died  May  8,  1868.  In  man- 
hood he  became  the  owner  of  a  large 
farm  at  Eden,  Pennsylvania,  and  there 
passed  his  life,  his  accidental  death  be- 
ing caused  by  an  overdose  of  poisonous 
medicine.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Mennonite  church,  as  had  been  his  Amer- 
ican fathers,  a  man  of  quiet  nature  and 
life,  industry  and  zealous  application  to 
duty  the  characterizing  features  of  his 
blameless  life.  He  married  (first)  in  1812, 
Elizabeth  Bassler,  born  in  1798.  and  died 
in  1819,  (second)  in  1820,  Elizabeth 
Kaufifman  Miller,  born  August  10,  1801, 
died  November  25,  1862.  Children  of 
Christian  Frantz.  all  of  his  second  mar- 
riage:  Maria,  born  in  1821,  died  in  1906; 
Jacob  M.,  of  whom  further ;  Eliza,  born 
in  1825,  died  in  1843 ;  Andrew  M. ;  Anna, 
born  in  1829,  now  living  (1914)  aged 
eighty-five  years ;  Christian  M.,  born  in 
1832,  died  in  1853 ;  Susanna,  born  in  1834, 
died  in  1855;  Rebecca,  born  in  1835,  died 
in  1900;  Sarah,  born  in  1837,  died  in 
)I9 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


1864;  John,  born  in  1839,  died  in  1864; 
Samuel  M.,  born  in  1842;  Elizabeth,  born 
in  1844,  died  in  1906. 

Jacob  M.  Frantz,  son  of  Christian  and 
Elizabeth  Kaufifman  (Miller)  Frantz, 
was  born  near  Binkley  Bridge,  Lancaster 
county,  Pennsylvania,  December  18,  1823, 
and  died  at  Wabank,  Lancaster  town- 
ship, Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania, 
February  16,  1909.  After  completing  his 
studies  in  the  district  schools  and  Stras- 
burg  Academy  he  was  for  several  years 
a  school  teacher  in  East  Lampeter  town- 
ship, Lancaster  county,  then  returning  to 
the  home  farm  and  operating  it  in  con- 
nection with  his  father.  Following  his 
marriage  he  made  his  home  on  the  farm, 
there  remaining  until  his  death,  deriving 
from  his  fertile  acres  a  comfortable  com- 
petence. In  general  farming  he  was  in- 
variably successful,  and  he  was  one  of 
the  earliest  tobacco  growers  in  the  coun- 
ty, prospering  from  the  beginning  of  his 
experiments  in  the  culture  of  this  plant. 
He  became  a  man  of  large  importance  in 
the  community  and  county,  was  president 
of  the  Manor  Turnpike  Company,  one  of 
the  promoters  of  the  Wabank  Hotel,  and 
a  director  of  the  Lancaster  and  Millers- 
ville  Horse  Railway  Company  until  the 
absorption  of  that  concern  by  the  Cones- 
toga  Traction  Company.  For  a  number 
of  years  he  was  a  school  director  of  Lan- 
caster township,  and  was  an  enthusiastic 
promoter  and  organizer  of  the  Millers- 
ville  State  Normal  School,  using  his  in- 
fluence to  secure  its  establishment  upon 
its  present  site  and  continuing  his  efforts 
in  its  behalf  for  more  than  fifty  years 
as  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees, 
being,  at  his  death,  the  oldest  member, 
in  age  and  point  of  service,  in  that  body. 
He  fraternized  with  the  Knights  of  Py- 
thias, and  was  the  object  of  the  lasting 
regard  and  liking  of  his  associates  in  edu- 
cational and  business  circles.  Jacob  M. 
Frantz  married,  October  18,  1845,  Anna, 


born  July  25,  1826,  daughter  of  Jacob  R. 
and  Mary  P.  Frick,  of  Neflsville,  Man- 
heim  township,  Lancaster  county,  and 
had  children,  all  born  near  Wabank, 
Pennsylvania :  Franklin  F.,  born  July 
19,  1846;  Benjamin  F.,  born  June  28, 
1848;  Christian,  born  August  16,  1850; 
Jacob  F.,  born  July  29,  1852 ;  Andrew  F., 
of  whom  further ;  Abram  E.,  born  Sep- 
tember 2,  1858 ;  Charles,  born  June  23, 
1862;  Mary  E.,  born  October  30,  1864; 
Anna,  born  January  18,  1867;  Edward 
B.,  born  February  14,  1872. 

Andrew  F.  Frantz,  son  of  Jacob  M. 
and  Anna  (Frick)  F"rantz,  was  born  on 
the  Frantz  homestead  in  Lancaster 
township,  Lancaster  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, January  14,  1855.  As  a  lad  of 
seven  years  he  began  attendance  at  the 
Millersville  State  Normal  School  and 
there  obtained  his  entire  education,  for  a 
few  years  after  leaving  school  engaging 
in  agricultural  pursuits.  In  1881  he  es- 
tablished in  his  present  line,  dealing  in 
live  stock,  continuing  independently  un- 
til 1912,  in  which  year  the  present  well- 
known  firm  of  Dunlap  &  Frantz,  com- 
mission dealers  in  cattle,  was  formed. 
This  concern  conducts  a  business  that  is 
the  largest  of  its  kind  in  Lancaster 
county,  and  during  its  short  life  has  ac- 
quired many  of  the  qualities  that  make 
for  permanent  success,  among  them  sub- 
stantiality, reliability,  and  a  reputation 
for  strict  and  unvarying  integrity.  Mr. 
Frantz  is  president  of  the  Manor  Turn- 
pike Company,  an  office  his  father  pre- 
viously held ;  is  a  director  of  the  Eastern 
Market  Company ;  and  is  a  member  of 
the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Millersville 
State  Normal  School,  to  which  he  is  in- 
debted for  his  education,  and  which  ewes 
his  father  enduring  gratitude  for  labor 
and  sacrifice  in  establishing  it  upon  so 
secure  a  foundation.  Mr.  Frantz,  a  suc- 
cessful man  of  afifairs,  is  respected  sin- 
cerely in  the  circles  in  which  he  moves. 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF   BIOGRAPHY 


ably  and  commendably  bearing  a  worthy 
name.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics 
and  a  member  of  the  First  Reformed 
Church  of  Lancaster. 

He  married,  July  26,  1881,  Snsan  H., 
born  October  19,  1859,  daughter  of  Philip 
and  Mary  Herr  Bausman,  of  Lancaster 
township,  and  has  children:  Philip  B., 
president  of  the  Standard  Dental  Com- 
pany, of  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania ; 
Anna  Mary,  married  George  A.  Young, 
of  Pottsville,  Pennsylvania;  J.  Paul,  a 
practicing  physician  of  Philadelphia ; 
Maud  B. ;  Ruth  H.,  married  J.  Nevin 
Schaeffer,  a  member  of  the  faculty  of 
Franklin  and  Marshall  College,  Lancas- 
ter; Elizabeth  F. ;  J.  Andrew,  a  student 
in  the  Harvard  Law  School ;  David  H., 
a  student  in  Franklin  and  Marshall  Col- 
lege ;  Abram  P.,  a  student  in  Franklin 
and  Marshall  Academy  ;  Susan  B. 


DETWILER,  Horace, 

Bank    Official,   Man    of    Affairs. 

A  list  of  the  citizens  of  Columbia, 
Pennsylvania,  of  a  generation  ago,  whose 
efforts  and  labors  laid  the  foundation 
upon  which  is  being  reared  the  business 
and  industrial  progress  and  achievement 
of  the  present  day,  would  have  well  to 
the  front  the  name  of  Solomon  S.  Det- 
wiler,  whose  only  male  descendant  is 
Horace  Detwiler,  cashier  of  the  First  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Columbia.  In  finance  and 
in  business  he  occupied  a  prominent  place 
in  his  locality,  and  he  is  remembered  al- 
ways as  one  whose  labors  were  directed 
not  to  selfish  ends  but  always  with  the 
object  of  adding  to  the  importance  of 
Columbia  and  of  making  it  an  increas- 
ingly better  place  in  which  to  live.  His 
ambitions  were  of  no  mean  order,  and  in 
attracting  to  Columbia  several  well 
known  industries  and  in  constant  striv- 
ing for  civil  uplift  many  were  realized,  to 
his  joy  and  the  benefit  of  his  fellows. 


The  family  of  Detwiler  has  been  espe- 
cially noted  in  medicine  and  finance.  Dr. 
Henry  Detwiler,  who  died  in  Easton, 
Pennsylvania,  April  21,  1887,  having  been 
the  pioneer  of  the  Hahnemann  school  in 
America,  and  at  his  death  was  "probably 
the  oldest  practitioner  in  the  world." 
The  American  founder  of  this  branch  of 
the  Swiss  family,  the  name  of  which  is 
variously  spelled  in  Pennsylvania  Det- 
wiler, Detwiller,  and  Detweiler,  was 
Joseph  Detwiler,  a  member  of  the  family 
of  Datwyler,  of  which  the  earliest  record 
traces  to  1608  in  the  town  of  Langen- 
bruck.  Canton  of  Basle.  Joseph  Detwiler, 
accompanied  by  his  brother,  John,  the 
two  members  of  a  family  of  four  children, 
the  others  Samuel  and  Mary,  settled  near 
Octoraro  creek,  below  Safe  Harbor,  Lan- 
caster county,  his  later  home  at  Bam- 
bridge.  on  the  Susquehanna  river  below 
Harrisburg. 

Joseph  (2)  Detwiler,  son  of  Joseph  (i), 
was  born  at  Bambridge,  Pennsylvania,  in 
1789,  and  died  in  Hellam  township,  near 
Wrightsville,  York  county,  Pennsylvania, 
April  30,  1870.  He  grew  to  man's  estate 
in  the  place  of  his  birth,  and  in  1820 
moved  to  York  county,  passing  the  rest 
of  his  life  in  the  cultivation  of  his  farm 
in  Hellam  township.  He  enlarged  the 
homestead,  built  the  barn  that  is  now 
standing,  and  was  attended  by  prosperity 
in  all  that  he  did.  Called  to  prominent 
place  in  public  life,  he  served  as  super- 
visor of  West  Hempfield  township,  al- 
ways elected  to  office  as  the  candidate  of 
the  Democratic  party.  Several  of  his  in- 
terests were  of  a  business  nature,  and  he 
was  manager  of  the  Wrightsville  Pike,  at 
his  death  his  son  David  succeeding  to  the 
position.  Joseph  {2)  Detwiler  married, 
at  Bambridge,  Pennsylvania,  Susan  Gar- 
ber,  her  father  a  successful  farmer,  and 
had  children :  David,  deceased,  a  pros- 
perous farmer;  Joseph,  a  wealthy  land, 
stone  quarry,  and  lime  kiln  owner,  since 


2021 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


i860  a  director  of  the  Union  National 
Bank  of  Mt.  Joy,  Pennsylvania ;  Daniel 
H.,  a  financier  and  business  man,  presi- 
dent of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Co- 
lumbia ;  Susan  ;  Solomon  S.,  of  whom  fur- 
ther; Anna,  married  Abram  Hiestand,  a 
farmer,  miller  and  distiller. 

Solomon  S.,  son  of  Joseph  (2)  and 
Susan  (Garber)  Detwiler,  was  born  near 
Wrightsville,  York  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, October  28,  1833,  and  died  in  De- 
cember, 1897.  ^"^  course  in  Mount  Joy 
Academy,  after  attendance  in  the  public 
schools,  completed  his  education,  and  he 
at  once  came  to  Columbia,  Pennsylvania, 
and  found  employment  in  the  hardware 
establishment  of  Jonas  Rumple.  Here  he 
was  employed  until  i860,  he  and  his 
brother,  Daniel  H.,  in  that  year  founding 
the  private  banking  house  of  Detwiler 
and  Brother.  For  four  years  this  firm 
did  successful  business,  and  in  1864  was 
supplanted  by  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Columbia,  Solomon  S.  Detwiler  being 
elected  to  the  cashiership.  an  office  he 
filled  with  competence  and  the  greatest 
acceptability  until  his  death.  His  un- 
varying courtesy  and  considerateness 
made  his  relations  with  the  patrons  of  the 
bank  most  pleasant,  while  his  sterling 
traits  of  character,  his  fine  sense  of  honor 
and  absolute  reliability,  gave  his  efficient 
service  double  value.  In  other  than  fi- 
nancial circles  Mr.  Detwiler  made  his  in- 
fluence felt  with  telling  force.  Largely 
through  his  efforts  in  1882  the  Keeley 
Stove  Company  changed  its  location  from 
Spring  City,  Pennsylvania,  to  Columbia, 
this  company  now  comprising  one  of  Co- 
lumbia's leading  industries,  and  at  his 
death  he  was  president  of  the  corporation. 
Another  addition  to  the  manufacturing 
interests  of  the  city  that  resulted  through 
his  instrumentality  was  the  establishment 
of  the  silk  and  lace  mills.  The  manner  of 
his  attainment  was  simple  and  without 
pretension,  but  a  grateful  citizenry  and 


his  many  friends  would  not  permit  his 
works  to  pass  unpraised  nor  would  they 
allow  him  to  escape  due  recognition. 
From  the  time  of  the  incorporation  of  the 
Columbia  Hospital  he  served  the  institu- 
tion as  treasurer,  remaining  with  it  in 
its  useful  years  with  the  same  fidelity  he 
had  shown  when  endeavoring  to  accom- 
plish its  birth.  He  was  a  director  of  the 
Columbia  and  Marietta  Turnpike  Com- 
pany and  of  the  Grey  Iron  Company. 
Mr.  Detwiler  was  a  vestryman  of  St. 
Paul's  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  and 
to  all  of  its  beneficences  contributed  gen- 
erously. 

He  married  Mary  C.  Redsecker,  daugh- 
ter of  Isaac  Redsecker,  of  Elizabethtown, 
Pennsylvania,  a  retired  farmer  and  tan- 
ner. Solomon  S.  and  Mary  (Redsecker) 
Detwiler  had  five  children — Effie,  and 
Horace  (of  whom  further),  the  onlj'  sur- 
vivors. Katherine  having  died  aged 
twelve  years,  Joseph,  aged  eleven  years, 
and  Susan  in  infancy. 

Horace  Detwiler,  son  of  Solomon  S. 
and  Mary  (Redsecker)  Detwiler,  was 
born  in  Columbia,  Pennsylvania,  August 
10,  1873,  ^"d  after  completing  his  studies 
in  the  public  schools  attended  Shortlidge 
Academy,  at  Media,  Pennsylvania.  His 
education  finished,  he  became  his  father's 
assistant  in  the  numerous  connections  of 
the  elder  Detwiler,  and  upon  the  death  of 
Solomon  S.  Detwiler  entered  the  First 
National  Bank  in  the  capacity  of  clerk. 
His  present  office  is  that  of  cashier,  a 
place  held  by  his  honored  parent  for 
thirty-three  years.  In  his  financial  career 
Mr.  Detwiler  has  splendid  guides  and  ex- 
amples in  the  lives  of  his  father  and 
others  of  his  family,  guides  that  not  only 
lead  but  inspire,  that  cheer  as  well  as 
direct.  He  is  president  and  director  of 
the  Keele)'  Stove  Company ;  a  director, 
manager,  and  treasurer  of  the  Columbia 
and  Marietta  Turnpike  Company ;  and  a 
director    and    treasurer    of    the    Mount 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Bethel  Cemetery  Company.  Mr.  Det- 
wiler  is  an  interested  member  of  the 
Vigilant  Volunteer  Fire  Company,  of  Co- 
lumbia, and  is  treasurer  of  that  organiza- 
tion, member  of  Columbia  Board  of 
Health,  and,  as  was  his  father,  he  is  a 
vestryman  of  St.  Paul's  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church. 


BROWNSON,  James  I., 

Lairyer,  Anthor. 

The  bar  of  Western  Pennsylvania  has 
ever,  as  its  annals  testify,  been  rich  in 
learning,  ability  and  character,  and  ably 
is  its  prestige  maintained  by  its  repre- 
sentatives of  the  present  day.  Among  the 
foremost  of  these  must  be  numbered 
James  I.  Brownson,  of  Washington,  a 
member  of  the  firm  of  Donnans,  Brown- 
son  &  Miller.  This  firm  is  among  those 
of  the  highest  standing  in  the  county  and 
Mr.  Brownson  is  recognized  as  one  of 
the  leading  lawyers  of  this  part  of  the 
old  Keystone  State. 

The  Rev.  James  I.  Brownson,  father  of 
James  I.  Brownson,  of  Washington,  was 
a  native  of  Franklin  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  in  1849  moved  to  Washington 
in  order  to  accept  the  pastorate  of  the 
First  Presbyterian  Church  of  that  city, 
an  office  which  he  filled  without  inter- 
ruption for  fifty  years — years  of  earnest 
and  unwearied  usefulness,  consecrated  to 
rekindling  hope  in  the  hearts  of  the  de- 
spairing, reviving  courage  in  the  souls 
of  the  conquered  and  carrying  beauty, 
joy  and  love  into  the  lives  of  those  whom 
sin  and  misery  had  crushed.  He  was  a 
man  endowed  with  notable  social  gifts, 
charm  of  voice  and  manner,  unfailing 
tact,  quick,  generous  sympathies,  an  ever- 
luminous  sense  of  humor,  and — greatest 
of  all — the  subtle  faculty  of  making  all 
about  him  appear  at  their  best.  Mr. 
Brownson     married,     March      14,     1843, 


Sarah  Ellen,  daughter  of  John  Maclay, 
of  Shippensburg,  Pennsylvania;  she  died 
in  April,  1853,  and  on  January  9,  1855, 
he  married  Eleanor,  daughter  of  David 
Acheson,  of  Washington.  On  January  i, 
1899,  he  tendered  his  resignation  of  the 
pastorate  of  half  a  century,  and  but  six 
months  later,  on  July  4,  of  the  same 
year,  passed  forever  from  the  scene  of 
his  labors,  having  been  the  spiritual  guide 
and  counsellor  of  three  generations.  An 
able,  scholarly  and  gifted  man,  he  lives 
still  in  the  memory  of  this  community. 

James  I.  Brownson,  son  of  James  I. 
and  Eleanor  (Acheson)  Brownson,  was 
born  January  25,  1856,  at  Washington, 
Pennsylvania,  and  received  his  prelimi- 
nary education  in  the  public  schools  of  his 
native  place,  afterward  entering  Wash- 
ington and  Jeflferson  College,  graduating 
in  the  class  of  1875.  He  then  registered 
as  law  student  with  Alexander  Wilson 
and  in  1878  was  admitted  to  the  bar. 
Since  that  date  he  has  been  in  continu- 
ous practice  in  Washington,  and  has 
proved  himself  to  be  possessed  of  that 
judicial  instinct  which  makes  its  way 
quickly  through  immaterial  details  to  the 
essential  points  upon  which  the  determi- 
nation of  a  cause  must  turn.  Thoroughly 
conversant  with  the  literature  of  his  pro- 
fession, energetic  in  all  his  transactions, 
clear,  logical  and  forceful  in  argument, 
and  ever  actuated  by  the  highest  sense 
of  honor,  Mr.  Brownson  occupies  an  en- 
viable position  in  the  ranks  of  the  legal 
fraternity.  He  has  served  several  terms 
as  solicitor  for  Washington  county. 

Intensely  public-spirited,  Mr.  Brown- 
son possesses  that  judgment — at  once 
clear  and  rapid — which  enables  him  in 
the  midst  of  incessant  professional  ac- 
tivity to  give  to  the  aiifairs  of  the  com- 
munity eflfort  and  counsel  of  genuine 
value,  and  his  penetrating  thought  has 
often    added    wisdom    to    public    move- 


2023 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


merits.  Though  taking  no  prominent  part 
in  politics  he  is  thoroughly  identified  with 
the  Republicans,  but  has  steadily  refused 
to  hold  office — with  one  exception.  This 
exception  was  made  in  favor  of  the  posi- 
tion of  president  of  the  council  of  South 
Washington,  a  position  which  was  filled 
by  Mr.  Brownson  before  South  Wash- 
ington became  a  part  of  the  city.  He  is 
a  director  of  the  Washington  Trust  Com- 
pany, a  trustee  of  Washington  and  Jeffer- 
son College,  and  a  member  of  the  Archae- 
ological Institute  of  America,  the  Penn- 
sylvania Society,  of  New  York,  the  Penn- 
sylvania Scotch-Irish  Society,  the  Na- 
tional Geographical  Society  and  the 
American  Forestry  Association.  He  is 
author  of:  "The  Life  and  Times  of  Sen- 
ator James  Ross,"  and  '"Equity  in  Penn- 
sylvania from  the  Historical  Point  of 
V^iew."  He  is  a  member  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church,  in  the  work  of 
which  he  is  active,  serving  as  secretary 
of  the  Sunday  school. 

Mr.  Brownson  is  a  member  of  the 
Washington  County  and  Pennsylvania 
State  Bar  associations,  and  the  high  place 
which  he  holds  not  only  in  the  estima- 
tion of  the  public  at  large,  but  also  in 
that  of  his  professional  brethren,  is  ac- 
corded to  him  not  alone  for  the  posses- 
sion of  the  qualities  essential  to  a  suc- 
cessful lawyer,  but  for  that  of  every  trait 
that  marks  the  true  Christian  gentleman 
and  man  of  honor.  Fie  is  of  dignified 
presence,  abounding  in  vitality,  his  coun- 
tenance giving  evidence  at  once  of  his 
keen  and  aggressive,  yet  kindly  nature, 
the  piercing  expression  of  his  eyes  temp- 
ered by  the  glint  of  humor.  He  is  a  man 
who,  notwithstanding  his  long  period  of 
practice  at  the  bar,  may  reasonably  look 
for  many  years  of  useful  and  appreciative 
reward  yet  to  come. 

The  son  of  a  father  whose  memory  is 
still  revered  in  the  place  which  was  the 
scene  of  his  noble  life,  Mr.  Brownson  has 


worthily  supplemented  the  record  of  an 
enlightened,  self-denying  pastor  by  that 
of  an  able,  conscientious  and  high-minded 
lawver. 


CRESSWELL,  Robert  Emmett, 

I.awyer,  Leader  in  Commnnity  Affairs. 

Robert  Emmett  Cresswell,  of  Johns- 
town, a  leader  of  the  Cambria  county 
bar,  and  for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century 
prominently  identified  with  the  political 
life  of  W'estern  Pennsylvania,  is  a  repre- 
sentative of  a  family  of  colonial  record, 
and  numbers  among  his  ancestors  on 
both  sides  scions  of  Irish  and  Scotch- 
Irish  stock — two  elements  which  have 
largely  influenced  the  progress  and  de- 
velopment of  the  Commonwealth. 

Robert  Cresswell,  grandfather  of  Rob- 
ert Emmett  Cresswell,  was  born  at  or 
near  Hagerstown,  Maryland,  and  was  a 
member  of  a  well  known  and  influential 
family  which  had  been  settled,  prior  to 
the  Revolutionary  War,  in  the  Old  Line 
State.  Robert  Cresswell  moved  to  Frank- 
lin county,  Pennsylvania,  and  there,  in 
1824,  married  Isabella,  sister  of  Captain 
William  McKinzie,  who  served  in  the 
War  of  1812,  and  was  with  Commodore 
Perry  at  the  battle  of  Lake  Erie,  known 
as  "Perry's  victory."  Captain  McKinzie 
belonged  to  a  family  which  emigrated  in 
1798  from  Belfast.  Ireland,  and  settled 
at  or  near  Concord,  Franklin  county, 
Pennsylvania,  where  they  still  own  the 
property  known  as  "McKinzie's  Dock," 
which  has  been  contested  for  a  long 
period  and  is  in  litigation  at  the  present 
time. 

Thomas  Hayden,  son  of  Robert  and 
Isabella  (McKinzie)  Cresswell,  was  born 
in  1827,  in  Franklin  county,  Pennsylvania, 
but  while  he  was  still  a  child  his  parents; 
removed  to  Newry,  Blair  county,  in  the 
same  State.  At  an  early  age  the  boy  was 
employed  in  his  father's  shoe  factory,  and 
^4 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


later  became  a  driver  on  the  old  Pennsyl- 
vania canal  between   lioUidaysburg  and 
the  east.     He  also  worked  for  a  time  on 
the  old  Portage  railroad,  and  later  served 
as  a  clerk  in  the  store  of  Dr.  Peter  Shoen- 
berger,  at  Rebecca  Furnace,  subsequently 
becoming  bookkeeper  and  then  manager 
of  the   Rebecca   Furnace   and   what   was 
then  known  as  the  Maria  Forges.     Mr. 
Cresswell    remained  with   Mr.    Lytel,    a 
son-in-law  of  Dr.  Shoenberger  for  some 
time  after  the  latter's  death,  and  shortly 
after   his   marriage    severed   his    connec- 
tion   with    the    Shoenberger    estate,    re- 
moving  to    Strongstown,    Indiana   coun- 
ty.    This  place  was  then  in  the  heart  of 
the  pine  woods  and  Mrs.  Cresswell  was 
the  owner  of  a  considerable  estate  in  the 
vicinity.     Mr.  Cresswell  engaged  in  the 
lumber  business  with  which  he  continued 
to  be  associated  during  the  remainder  of 
his  life,  and  he  also  opened  a  store  which 
he  conducted  in  connection  with  the  lum- 
ber trade.     During  the  entire  period  of 
his  residence  in  Indiana  county  he  was 
numbered  among  the  leaders  of  the  Dem- 
ocratic party,  and  during  the  memorable 
presidential    campaign    of    i860    enjoyed 
the  distinction  of  being,  with  one  excep- 
tion, the  only  "Breckenridge  Democrat" 
in   his    township.      He   filled   in   a    most 
creditable  manner  the  office  of  postmaster 
and  for  many  years  was  a  justice  of  the 
peace.     Mr.   Cresswell  married,  in    1855. 
in  Strongstown,  Ellen  M.   Burke,  whose 
family  record  is  appended  to  this  sketch, 
and  their  children  were :  Edmund  Burke  ; 
Michael ;  Robert  Emmett,  mentioned  be- 
low ;     Joseph ;     Kate     B. ;     Francis     A. ; 
Thomas  M.,  and  Ella  B.     All  these,  with 
the  exception  of  Robert  Emmett  and  Ella 
B.,  are  now  deceased.     The  father  of  the 
family  died  May  11,  1882,  and  the  mother 
passed  away   February  28,    1902,  at   her 
home  in  Johnstown. 

Robert  Emmett,  son  of  Thomas  Hay- 
den  and  Ellen  M.  (Burke)  Cresswell,  was 


born  November  2,  1858,  in  Strongstown, 
where  he  received  his  preliminary  edu- 
cation in  the  common  schools,  afterward 
attending  the  State  Normal  School  at 
Indiana.  \\'hen  not  in  school  he  was  em- 
ployed in  his  father's  store,  or  in  and 
about  the  mills  and  lumber  busmess. 
After  completing  his  course  of  study  he 
taught  a  country  school  during  the  win- 
ter and  in  the  summer  was  employed  in 
his  father's  business.  Later  he  became  a 
car  recording  clerk  in  the  service  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company,  remain- 
ing until  the  department  in  which  he  was 
employed  was  removed  from  Altoona  to 
Philadelphia.  He  then  spent  some  time 
in  the  west,  engaged  in  the  railroad  busi- 
ness, finally  returning  to  Pennsylvania, 
and  in  1885,  in  order  to  assist  in  the 
settlement  of  his  father's  estate,  he  again 
engaged  in  the  lumber  business. 

Throughout  these  changes  of  occupa- 
tion, Mr.  Cresswell  had  had  a  decided  in- 
clination to  the  study  of  law — an  inclina- 
tion which  eventually  crystallized  into  a 
purpose — and  during  the  year  or  two 
spent  in  lumbering  began  reading  Black- 
stone.  Often  he  carried  this  volume  into 
the  woods,  and  there,  in  the  logging 
camps,  laid  the  foundation  for  his  future 
success  in  the  legal  profession.  In  1887 
he  closed  the  business,  thus  becoming 
free  to  devote  his  whole  time  to  his 
studies.  He  had  previously  registered  as 
a  student  of  law  at  the  Cambria  county 
bar,  and  now,  by  the  advice  of  his  father's 
old-time  friend  and  legal  counsellor,  the 
late  Supreme  Court  Judge  Silas  M.  Clark, 
of  Indiana,  he  took  the  law  course  at  the 
University  of  Michigan,  graduating  in 
1889,  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Laws.  During  his  vacations  he  read  in 
the  office  of  M.  D.  Kittell,  Esq.,  and  also 
for  a  time  prior  to  his  admission.  Since 
that  time  he  has  been  continuously  en- 
gaged in  general  practice  in  Johnstown, 
and  has  won  a  most  enviable  reputation 
;02S 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


for  learning,  skill  and  probity,  standing 
high  in  the  esteem  both  of  the  general 
public  and  of  his  professional  brethren. 
For  many  years  he  has  been  one  of  the 
recognized  leaders  of  the  Cambria  county 
bar. 

In  political  allegiance  and  religious  be- 
lief Mr.  Cresswell  adheres  to  the  tradi- 
tions of  his  ancestors,  being  a  strong 
Democrat  and  an  earnest  Roman  Catho- 
lic. In  1899  he  was  unanimously  chosen 
by  his  party  for  chairman  of  the  Demo- 
cratic County  Committee,  a  position 
which  he  held  for  four  years.  Under  the 
rule  of  what  was  known  as  the  "Court 
House  Ring,"  the  county  had  grown 
strongly  Republican,  but,  despite  this 
fact,  Mr.  Cresswell  succeeded  in  building 
up  a  powerful  organization,  and  in  1901 
the  party  elected  Hon.  F.  J.  O'Connor 
as  Common  Pleas  Judge,  and  William  H. 
Strauss  as  register  and  recorder.  The 
following  year  the  Democrats  elected  a 
county  treasurer  and  the  next  year  suc- 
ceeded in  electing  a  sheriff.  In  these 
campaigns  Mr.  Cresswell  proved  beyond 
dispute  his  rare  talent  for  leadership,  and 
in  1900  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
Democratic  State  Executive  Committee, 
and  in  this  position  served  his  party  for 
the  space  of  three  years. 

In  1902  Mr.  Cresswell  was  the  candi- 
date of  his  party  for  Congress  from  the 
Nineteenth  Congressional  District,  and 
although  his  opponent,  the  Hon.  Alvin 
Evans,  of  Ebensburg,  Pennsylvania,  was 
one  of  the  ablest  and  most  popular  Re- 
publicans in  his  district,  he  made  a  very 
fine  showing,  especially  in  his  own  county. 
Under  President  Cleveland's  first  admin- 
istration, Mr.  Cresswell  served  for  four 
years  as  postmaster  of  Strongstown,  dis- 
charging the  duties  of  the  ofifice  to  the 
entire  satisfaction  of  the  community.  He 
has  been  many  times  a  delegate  to  State 
conventions,  and  in  1908  went  to  the 
National  Convention  in  Denver  pledged 


to  the  support  of  William  Jennings 
Bryan,  having  always  been  the  warm 
friend  and  staunch  political  advocate  of 
that  leader.  In  1912  Mr.  Cresswell  was 
nominated  by  his  party  for  Auditor- 
General  of  Pennsylvania,  and  in  Novem- 
ber of  that  year  received  a  most  encour- 
aging number  of  votes,  amply  justifying 
the  choice  of  his  constituents. 

Mr.  Cresswell  is  vice-president  of  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Cressan,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  takes  an  active  interest  in 
everything  pertaining  to  the  welfare  and 
advancement  of  his  home  city,  being  a 
liberal  contributor  to  all  her  benevolent 
institutions.  He  affiliates  with  the  Hepta- 
sophs,  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  the 
Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks, 
and  the  Johnstown  Lyceum.  A  man  of 
genial  nature  and  affable  manners,  he 
wins  and  holds  many  friends  and  enjoys 
a  high  degree  of  personal  popularity. 

After  the  death  of  his  brother,  Francis 
A.  Cresswell,  Mr.  Cresswell  became  inter- 
ested in  the  rebuilding  of  the  old  home 
in  Strongstown,  where  the  family  owned 
a  large  tract  of  farm  land.  He  restored 
the  old  house  and  has  since  given  much 
time  and  attention  to  improving  and 
stocking  the  farm,  the  raising  of  cattle 
and  hogs  and  the  cultivation  of  alfalfa. 
Mr.  Cresswell  is  unmarried  and  spends 
the  summers  at  the  old  home  with  his 
sister  and  two  widowed  sisters-in-law. 

Mr.  Cresswell  has  won  laurels  at  the 
bar  and  as  a  political  leader.  His  career 
has  thus  far  been  filled  with  accomplish- 
ment, but  he  is  still  in  the  prime  of  life 
and  the  past  furnishes  a  guarantee  for 
honors  in  the  future. 

The  Wilson  administration  tendered  to 
Mr.  Cresswell  the  appointment  of  Assist- 
ant United  States  Attorney-General.  His 
important  duties  of  that  office  was  to 
assist  in  the  settlement  of  Indian  affairs 
in  Oklahoma.  This  appointment  he  de- 
clined, as  his  business  interests  would  not 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


allow  of  its  acceptance.  Later  he  was  a 
candidate  for  the  appointment  to  a  Fed- 
eral judgeship  of  the  District  Court  of 
the  United  States,  embracing  the  western 
district  of  Pennsylvania.  He  is  at  pres- 
ent a  much  spoken  of  candidate  for 
National  Committeeman  from  Pennsyl- 
vania to  succeed  the  Hon.  Mitchell  A. 
Palmer,  who  lately  resigned  the  office 
owing  to  his  appointment  to  a  Federal 
judgeship. 

(The  Burke  Line). 

Edmund  Burke,  father  of  Mrs.  Ellen 
M.  (Burke)  Cresswell,  was  a  native  of 
County  Waterford,  Ireland,  and  belonged 
to  a  branch  of  a  family  famous  in  history 
through  the  genius  of  some  of  its  mem- 
bers, chief  among  whom  stands  the 
world-renowned  statesman  and  orator 
who  bore  the  full  name  of  Mrs.  Cress- 
well's  father,  Edmund  Burke.  Edmund 
Burke,  of  County  Waterford,  was  a 
marine  engineer  or  navigator,  and  for 
some  years  was  employed  by  the  British 
government  to  make  ocean  surveys.  The 
exact  date  of  his  emigration  to  the  United 
States  has  not  been  preserved,  but  after 
his  arrival  he  was  employed  to  make  sur- 
veys for  a  canal  project  in  the  State  of 
New  York.  Later  he  was  engaged  in 
making  surveys  in  and  about  Baltimore 
and  Annapolis,  and  he  finally  moved  to 
Western  Pennsylvania,  where  he  became 
a  contractor,  entering  into  partnership 
with  a  Mr.  McGrath,  of  Lancaster,  the 
firm  being  known  as  Burke  &  McGrath ; 
another  partner  was  named  Riley.  The 
firm  constructed  a  number  of  sections  of 
the  old  Pennsylvania  canal,  the  Bald  Eagle 
canal,  and  sections  of  all  the  numerous 
pikes  leading  through  the  western  part 
of  the  State.  Mr.  Burke  acquired  a  large 
landed  estate  at  Strongstown,  Indiana 
county,  Pennsylvania.  He  married,  in 
1828,  Catherine  Sweeney,  born  at  Belle- 
fonte,  Centre  county,  Pennsylvania, 
where  her  parents  settled  on  emigrating 


from  Ireland,  later  removing  to  Cherry 
Hill  township,  Indiana  county.  Mrs. 
Burke  died  in  Strongstown  in  1838. 

Ellen  M.,  daughter  of  Edmund  and 
Catherine  (Sweeney)  Burke,  was  born  in 
Strongstown,  and  became  the  wife  of 
Thomas  Hayden  Cresswell,  as  mentioned 
above.  The  old  home  where  she  was 
born  is  now  owned  by  her  son,  Robert 
Emmett  Cresswell. 


SHAW,  George  Benton, 

Prominent   LiA-wyer. 

From  the  Colonial  period  down  to  the 
present  time  the  bench  and  bar  have 
wielded  a  power  second  to  none  in  deter- 
mining the  course  of  events  and  main- 
taining the  eminence  and  honor  of  the 
State.  George  Benton  Shaw,  who  holds 
marked  prestige  among  the  members  of 
the  bar  of  Greensburg,  Westmoreland 
county,  Pennsylvania,  is  numbered 
among  its  leading  practitioners,  and  his 
connection  with  litigated  interests  has 
been  of  a  most  important  and  extensive 
character.  He  is  of  the  fifth  generation 
of  the  Shaw  family  in  Westmoreland 
county,  the  family  having  been  settled 
there  about  the  time  of  the  Revolutionary 
War  by  three  brothers.  Daniel  W.  Shaw, 
father  of  George  Benton  Shaw,  married 
Sarah  Matilda,  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Jane  (Miller)  Reed,  and  had  children: 
Albertus  Miller;  Lizzie  Ida,  married  W. 
P.  Weister;  George  Benton,  whose  name 
heads  this  sketch  ;  John  Reed ;  Jennie ; 
Robert  C,  county  superintendent  of 
schools  ;  Margaret  Emeline,  married  John 
Young;  William  Gill. 

George  Benton  Shaw  was  born  in 
Washington  township,  Westmoreland 
county,  Pennsylvania,  May  28,  1863.  The 
public  schools  of  his  native  township  fur- 
nished him  with  an  excellent  education, 
which  was  supplemented  by  attendance 
at    the    Poke    Run    Academy    and    the 


PA— Vol  VI-13 


2027 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Greensburg  Seminary.  Having  decided 
to  make  the  legal  profession  his  life  work, 
Mr.  Shaw  commenced  reading  law  in  the 
ofifices  of  Atkinson  &  Peoples,  a  well 
known  firm  of  attorneys,  and  was  admit- 
ted to  practice  at  the  bar  of  Westmore- 
land county,  March  3,  1893.  From  the 
very  outset  of  his  practice  he  showed 
legal  ability  of  an  unusually  high  order, 
and  time  has  not  lessened  the  impression 
which  his  earlier  conduct  of  cases  gave. 
So  extended  did  his  practice  become  that 
he  found  it  imperative  to  associate  some 
one  with  himself,  and  he  has  found  a  very 
congenial  legal  partner  in  the  person  of 
John  C.  Silsley,  Esq.  As  a  pleader,  a 
cross-examiner  of  witnesses,  and  a  deep 
and  logical  reasoner,  Mr.  Shaw  is  ex- 
celled by  none.  His  culture  and  talents 
give  him  social  influence  and  professional 
eminence ;  in  conversation  he  is  peculiarly 
fascinating,  and  he  is  always  surrounded 
by  a  group  of  eager  listeners.  In  his 
presentment  of  cases  he  is  most  convinc- 
ing, marshalling  his  facts  accurately,  and 
using  concise,  yet  graceful,  language. 
Politically  he  is  a  member  of  the  Demo- 
cratic party,  and  he  was  a  candidate  for 
Congressman-at-large  in  1912.  His  re- 
ligious affiliations  are  with  the  West- 
minster Presbyterian  Church  in  Greens- 
burg, in  which  he  is  a  ruling  elder. 

Mr.  Shaw  married,  December  25,  1890, 
Sara  Luella,  a  daughter  of  James  L.  and 
Nancy  (Kirkwood)  Thompson,  of  Wash- 
ington township.  His  wife  died  March 
4,  1908. 


ARMSTRONG,  Arthur, 

Accomplislied  Artist. 

An  artist  of  a  generation  past,  the  repu- 
tation of  Arthur  Armstrong,  of  Lancas- 
ter, rests  securely  in  the  numerous  ex- 
amples of  his  work  that  are  preserved  at 
this  time,  rather  than  in  written  words 
of  favorable  criticism.    There  are,  indeed. 


brief  notices  of  his  activity  to  be  found, 
but  no  adequate  biography  has  been 
printed,  and  it  remains  for  the  biographer 
of  the  twentieth  century  to  chronicle, 
from  the  best  material  available,  the  life 
of  one  whose  birthdate  fell  in  the 
eighteenth  century. 

The  family  of  which  Arthur  Armstrong 
was  a  member  is  that  which  claims 
among  its  members  General  Armstrong, 
Secretary  of  War  under  President  Madi- 
son. Arthur  Armstrong  was  a  son  of 
James  Armstrong,  and  was  born  in 
Manor  township,  Lancaster  county, 
Pennsylvania,  in  1798.  He  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  his  home  and  at 
an  early  age  evinced  his  artistic  talent, 
for  as  a  young  man  of  twenty-two  years 
he  opened  a  studio  in  the  borough  of 
Marietta.  Here  he  followed  his  art  and 
here  he  imparted  the  principles  thereof 
to  several  students,  among  them  the  late 
Judge  John  L.  Liebhart  and  the  eminent 
J.  Henry  Brown,  the  former  the  painter 
of  a  portrait  of  General  Simon  Cameron, 
a  canvas  that  merited  and  received  the 
highest  commendation.  The  number  of 
the  "Intelligencer"  for  December,  1849, 
contains  the  following  mention  : 

We  were  very  much  gratified  with  a  recent 
visit  we  paid  to  the  gallery  of  Mr.  Arthur  Arm- 
strong in  the  Mechanics'  Institute.  Mr.  Arm- 
strong, we  believe,  is  a  native  of  this  city,  and 
of  talents  of  the  highest  order  as  an  artist,  com- 
bined with  suavity  of  manner  and  an  exceedingly 
accommodating  disposition  deserve  ample  en- 
couragement, then  he  is  richly  entitled  to  it  at 
the  hands  of  the  public.  His  paintings.^and  his 
gallery  is  ornamented  with  some  splendid  pro- 
ductions from  his  pencil  which  exhibit  taste, 
skill,  and  productions  of  the  highest  order  of 
genius, — are  well  worthy  a  visit  from  all  our 
citizens  in  town  and  country.  We  intend,  when 
we  have  a  little  more  leisure,  to  renew  our  visit, 
and  to  take  a  note  of  his  most  celebrated  paint- 
ings for  publication.  We  hope  that  Mr.  Arm- 
strong will  be  liberally  patronized  as  a  native, 
and   he  is   eminently  deserving  of   it. 


2028 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Mr.  Armstrong's  studio  could  not  have 
been  long  in  the  Mechanics'  Institute,  for 
his  stay  there  is  neglected  altogether  by 
the  author  of  the  following  notice  that 
appeared  after  his  death  in  the  "Exam- 
iner:" "Arthur  Armstrong  was  born  in 
Manor  township  and  was  long  and  well 
known  to  Lancasterians.  He  aspired 
high,  built  a  fine  studio  of  classical  de- 
sign on  Orange  street,  and  fitted  up  the 
second  story  to  exhibit  paintings.  We 
remember  'Hamlet,'  'Ophelia'  and  the 
'Assassination  of  Caesar,'  which  were 
works  of  great  size,  and  he  also  had  a 
large  collection  of  engravings,  which  he 
took  great  pleasure  in  showing  to  a  few 
select  friends.  He  was  a  genial,  kind- 
hearted  man,  and  had  numerous  pupils, 
some  of  whom  speak  kindly  of  him  to 
this  day." 

Art  has  never  rivalled  business  as  a 
means  of  attaining  material  prosperity, 
and  the  calling  of  a  portrait  painter  in  a 
small  city  of  that  day  was  by  no  means 
a  lucrative  one.  Even  as  the  famous 
West  at  times  painted  tavern  signs  and 
in  other  ways  humbled  his  art  in  defer- 
ence to  necessity,  so  Arthur  Armstrong 
resorted  to  such  means  to  obtain  money 
when  more  desirable  occupation  was  not 
obtainable,  painting  signs,  making  and 
gilding  picture  frames,  and  in  other  ways 
meeting  the  needs  of  daily  existence.  A 
contemporary,  writing  of  his  work  and 
of  one  piece  in  particular,  states:  "It 
does  not  require  a  connoisseur  in  the  fine 
:  arts  to  discover  something  remarkable  in 
I  the  style  of  Mr.  Armstrong's  paintings. 
He  leaves  nothing  in  the  dark  for  the 
imagination  to  work  out,  it  is  bold  and 
distinct,  and  yet  the  distance  is  kept  in 
such  a  natural  harmony  as  to  give  it  at 
once  that  ease  and  softness  essential  to 
the  art.  The  picture  is  one  on  rich  blue 
silk,  and  is  intended  as  a  banner  for  the 
Washington  Fire  Company  of  Louisville, 
Kentucky.    The  back  of  the  canvas  repre- 


sents the  Washington  family,  which  is 
not  a  mere  convening  of  the  bare 
material,  but  with  a  persevering  assiduity 
the  artist  has  left  nothing  unfinished. 
The  scene  is  under  the  portico  of  the 
mansion  at  Mount  Vernon  and  consists 
of  the  family  circle,  in  the  distance  the 
Potomac  studded  with  sails.  The  whole 
is  beautifully  worked  out,  and  more 
worthy  the  gallery  than  the  back  of  a 
banner." 

Mr.  Armstrong  worked  for  a  time 
under  the  instruction  of  a  Philadelphia 
artist,  then  returning  to  the  neighborhood 
of  his  early  home.  Upon  the  organization 
of  the  Mechanics'  Society,  July  8,  1829, 
Mr.  Armstrong  was  elected  treasurer,  and 
was  long  an  interested  member  of  the 
society. 

His  death  occurred  June  18,  1851,  when 
he  was  fifty-three  years  of  age.  Many  of 
his  canvases  remain  in  the  locality  of  his 
home,  and  the  home  of  his  surviving 
daughter,  Elizabeth  Grofif,  contains  nu- 
merous paintings  from  his  brush.  Among 
these  are  portraits  of  his  daughters, 
Amanda  and  Elizabeth,  and  of  his  son, 
James ;  of  his  wife  and  young  daughters ; 
of  his  daughter,  Margaret  Katherine,  at 
a  youthful  age  ;  of  himself  at  mature  man- 
hood ;  of  himself  at  a  youthful  age ;  of 
Mrs.  Margaret  Haldeman,  his  sister;  of 
his  daughter,  Helen,  who  died  young;  of 
his  daughter,  Harriet,  who  died  young; 
of  Mrs.  Thomas  Wentz ;  of  Mrs.  Kath- 
erine Wentz ;  a  picture  of  fruit,  attrac- 
tively arranged ;  "The  Entombment  of 
Christ,"  a  large  picture  of  five  figures, 
owned  by  J.  B.  Litchy,  of  Lancaster ;  por- 
trait of  the  late  Mrs.  Christian  Cast, 
owned  by  Mrs.  Annie  E.  Martin ;  por- 
traits of  the  late  Emanuel  SchaefTer  and 
second  wife,  owned  by  Miss  Louise  Herr, 
of  Philadelphia ;  portrait  of  Mrs.  John 
Levergood,  owned  by  Mrs.  Levergood ; 
portraits  of  Edwin  and  Susan  SchaefTer; 
portrait   of   Mrs.   John    Herr,   owned   by 


2029 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Miss  Louise  Herr;  portrait  of  Mrs.  W. 
E.  Heinitsh,  owned  by  her  daughter,  Miss 
Margaret  Heinitsh ;  portrait  of  Hon.  Wil- 
liam Frazer,  owned  by  Miss  Susan  C. 
Frazer ;  portrait  of  James  Jeffries,  owned 
by  Miss  Susan  Jeffries;  portrait  of 
Colonel  John  W.  Forney;  portrait  of 
Michael  Breneman ;  portrait  on  wooden 
panel,  in  oil,  of  Kitty  Snyder;  a  small 
portrait  in  oil  on  a  wooden  panel  of  a 
gentleman  whose  name,  undecipherable, 
appears  on  the  back;  picture  of  Fort  Mc- 
Henry,  and  portraits  of  two  of  the  chil- 
dren of  W.  E.  Heinitsh,  the  last  three  pic- 
tures the  property  of  Mr.  Breneman. 

It  was  Mr.  Armstrong's  happy  fate  to 
come  into  artistic  prominence  and  favor 
while  at  the  pinnacle  of  his  mastery  of  his 
art.  Portraiture  was  easily  the  branch  in 
which  he  excelled,  and  the  fidelity  of  his 
reproductions  and  the  natural  touch  that 
all  his  work  bears  mark  him  as  an  artist 
of  unusual  ability,  the  preservation  of 
whose  work  is  a  privilege  and  a  duty. 

Arthur  Armstrong  married  Harriet 
Wentz,  of  Lancaster,  and  had  children : 
James  T.,  an  artist,  died  young;  Amanda 
Haldeman,  deceased ;  Elizabeth  Groff, 
who  is  the  possessor  of  inherited  artistic 
talent  that  has  found  expression  in  no 
inconsiderable  amount  of  work  with  the 
brush ;  Margaret  Katharine  Kerfoot ;  and 
Helen  and  Harriet,  who  died  young. 


FEE,  David  Hamilton, 

Promineiit  Journalist. 

The  Fees  came  to  America  from  Ire- 
land, Abraham  Fee  being  the  American 
ancestor.  After  first  sojourning  for  a 
time  in  Maryland,  he  crossed  the  Alle- 
ghanies,  settling  in  Washington  county 
in  1800,  and  died  in  1809,  in  Canonsburg. 
A  maternal  ancestor  of  David  Hamilton 
Fee  was  David  Hamilton,  a  soldier  of  the 
Revolution,  who  came  in  1780,  settling  at 
Rich  Hills,    died    in    1840,    aged    ninety 


years,  and  is  buried  in  the  Cross  Roads 
United   Presbyterian  churchyard. 

William,  son  of  Abraham  Fee,  was 
born  in  Maryland,  and  came  to  Washing- 
ton county  with  his  parents  in  1800.  He 
was  a  man  of  unusual  intelligence,  had 
been  liberally  educated,  and  was  for  many 
years  justice  of  the  peace  in  Chartiers 
township.  He  was  one  of  the  early  school 
teachers  of  Washington  county.  His 
wife  was  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  David 
Hamilton,  the  Rich  Hill  pioneer  and  land- 
owner of  previous  mention.  One  of  the 
sons  of  William  Fee  was  William  (2), 
who  followed  in  his  brother's  footsteps, 
teaching  school,  and  was  for  two  terms 
superintendent  of  public  instruction  in 
Washington  county,  1869-1875.  He  spent 
the  last  twenty-five  years  of  his  life  in 
Cherokee  county,  Iowa,  where  he  died, 
October  13,  1895. 

John  Fee,  son  of  William  (i),  and 
father  of  David  Hamilton  Fee,  was  born 
in  North  Strabane  township,  Washing- 
ton county,  March  10,  1817,  but  spent 
most  of  his  life  in  Chartiers  township, 
died  June  30,  1901.  He  was  a  carpenter 
and  builder,  constructing  many  of  the 
better  class  of  buildings  in  Washington 
and  vicinity,  including  the  county  court 
house  that  preceded  the  present  struc- 
ture. In  his  latter  years  he  became  a 
farmer,  owning  the  old  Fee  homestead  in 
Chartiers  township.  He  served  several 
terms  as  school  director,  and  was  always 
a  warm  friend  of  the  cause  of  public  edu- 
cation. Although  the  Fees  were  identi- 
fied with  the  United  Presbyterian  Church 
of  Cross  Roads,  John  Fee  was  baptized 
when  an  infant  by  the  noted  Rev.  John 
McMillan,  D.  D.,  pastor  of  Chartiers 
Presbyterian  Church.  John  Fee  married 
Harriet  Quinn,  born  in  Washington 
county,  1827,  daughter  of  James  Quinn, 
a  native  of  Ireland,  died  suddenly  in 
Wheeling,  West  Virginia,  when  compara- 
tively a  young  man.     She  died  June  30, 


2030 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


1901.  Children:  John  Nesbit  and  Lydia 
A.,  who  own  and  reside  on  the  old  Fee 
homestead  in  Chartiers  township ;  Re- 
becca J.,  died  February,  1906,  married 
Matthew  A.  Cain,  of  Canonsburg;  Sam- 
uel G.,  of  Chartiers  township,  married 
Anna,  daughter  of  Samuel  McCoy ;  Ellis 
Gray,  of  Chartiers  township,  married 
Catherine  Stewart;  Henry,  of  Chartiers 
township,  married  Jennie  M'cCarty ; 
David  Hamilton  (see  forward)  ;  and  Wil- 
liam H.,  also  of  further  mention  in  this 
work. 

David  Hamilton  Fee,  son  of  John  Fee, 
was  born  in  Chartiers  township,  Wash- 
ington county,  Pennsylvania,  July  9, 
1853.  He  grew  to  manhood  on  the  home 
farm,  and  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools,  and  Jefferson  Academy,  under 
the  well  known  instructor.  Professor  Wil- 
liam Ewing.  In  1881  and  1882  he  taught 
school,  then  secured  an  interest  in  the 
"Canonsburg  Notes,"  being  in  a  few 
months  sole  owner  and  editor  of  that 
paper,  then  a  weekly  publication.  He 
conducted  the  "Notes"  very  successfully 
for  ten  years  alone,  then  admitted  his 
brother,  William  H.  (who  had  been  with 
him  since  1883),  to  a  partnership.  The 
firm  of  David  H.  &  William  H.  Fee  con- 
ducted the  "Notes"  for  twelve  years  as  a 
weekly,  then  on  April  18,  1894,  began  the 
publication  of  the  "Daily  Notes,"  although 
Canonsburg  was  then  little  more  than  a 
village.  By  careful  management,  how- 
ever, the  "Daily"  was  a  successful  ven- 
ture from  the  first  issue,  and  has  become 
so  valuable  a  medium  that  there  is  hardly 
a  home  in  the  community  where  it  is  not 
a  welcome  daily  visitors.  The  "Daily"  be- 
coming so  popular,  the  weekly  issue  was 
discontinued,  and  the  entire  energy  of 
the  brothers  devoted  to  the  newer  enter- 
prise. In  1904  the  Notes  Printing  and 
Publishing  Company  was  formed,  with 
David  H.  Fee  as  president.  He  is  also 
senior  editor,  and  directs  the  policy  of  the 


paper.  The  "Notes"  is  known  far  and 
near  as  a  fearless  advocate  of  the  right  as 
its  editor  sees  the  right,  and  is  strong  in 
its  advocacy  of  good  government  and 
genuine  reform  measures,  as  well  as  an 
advocate  of  public  improvement  looking 
to  the  benefit  of  Canonsburg.  The  poli- 
tics of  the  paper  is  "Independent  Repub- 
lican," and  its  independence  is  not  a  sham, 
but  real,  as  has  been  often  demonstrated. 
While  the  paper  reflects  in  a  great  meas- 
ure the  personality  of  its  editor,  there  is 
much  more  to  the  nature  and  character 
than  is  there  made  manifest.  He  is  a  great 
lover  of  nature,  art  and  literature,  his 
hours  "off  duty"  being  given  to  his  flow- 
ers, fruits,  books,  etc. 

He  is  a  charter  member  of  the  Monday 
Night  Club,  Canonsburg's  oldest  and 
most  important  literary  society.  He  is  a 
public  speaker  of  more  than  local  fame, 
and  his  pleasing  personality  is  never  seen 
to  more  striking  advantage  than  upon 
the  platform  in  advocacy  of  some  forward 
movement  in  which  he  is  interested.  He 
has  been  a  leader  in  many  such  move- 
ments, and  through  the  "Notes"  was  the 
first  in  Washington  county  to  demand 
"local  option"  on  the  liquor  question.  He 
is  widely  and  favorably  known  through- 
out Western  Pennsylvania,  having  been 
engaged  in  newspaper  work  longer  than 
any  other  member  of  the  profession  in 
Washington  county.  He  and  his  wife 
are  members  of  the  Chartiers  United 
Presbyterian  Church,  and  of  other  local 
social  and  charitable  organizations. 

He  married.  May  15,  1884,  Ellen  Eva 
Lee  Pattison,  daughter  of  Thomas  Patti- 
son,  of  near  West  Alexander.  Their  only 
child,  a  son,  died  in  infancy. 


FEE,  William  Huston, 

Prominent  Journalist. 

Closely  associated  with  his  brother, 
David  H.  Fee,  in  the  management  and 
editorial      work      of      the      Canonsburg 


2031 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


"Notes,"  William  H.  Fee  since  boyhood 
has  known  no  other  business  than  that  of 
helping  make  the  best  possible  newspaper 
for  a  small  town  and  a  rural  community. 

He  is  the  youngest  son  of  John  and 
Hannah  (Quinn)  Fee,  and  was  born  near 
McConnells  Mills,  Chartiers  township, 
Washington  county,  Pennsylvania,  Octo- 
ber i6,  1868.  His  first  fourteen  years  were 
spent  on  the  homestead  farm,  but  being 
the  youngest  of  six  sons  he  escaped  much 
of  the  usual  farm  labor  falling  to  a  boy. 
He  attended  school  irregularly,  but  early 
developed  a  love  for  the  weekly  news- 
paper that  came  to  the  farm,  imbibing 
more  knowledge  from  them  than  from  his 
books.  On  February  6,  1883,  being  then 
but  little  more  than  fourteen  years  of 
age,  he  began  working  for  his  brother, 
David  H.  Fee,  owner  and  editor  of  the 
Canonsburg  "Notes."  He  passed  through 
all  the  grades  of  service  known  to  the 
country  newspaper  office,  from  "printer's 
devil"  upward,  and  has  been  continuously 
connected  with  the  "Notes"  until  the 
present  time.  In  1892  he  became  an  equal 
partner  with  his  brother,  continuing  as 
junior  member  of  the  firm  of  David  H. 
&  William  H.  Fee  until  the  business  was 
incorporated  in  1905,  when  he  became 
vice-president  of  the  Notes  Printing  and 
Publishing  Company,  and  one  of  the 
principal  stockholders.  For  several  years 
he  held  the  position  of  news  editor.  The 
paper  has  not  been  left  in  undisturbed 
possession  of  the  field,  but  has  success- 
fully withstood  all  competition,  and 
serenely  outlives  several  would-be  rivals 
for  public  favor.  This  has  been  due  to 
efificient  management  and  a  public  policy 
that  won  the  admiration  of  the  best  and 
most  to  be  deserved  class  of  patrons. 

Mr.  Fee  belongs  to  no  lodges  or  soci- 
eties, beliving  that  an  editor  should  be 
free  from  alliance  of  any  kind,  nor  has 
public  ofiice  ever  appealed  to  him.    He  is 


a  "newspaper  man"  first,  last,  and  all  the 
time,  spending  his  hours  of  ease  in  his 
home  enjoying  the  society  of  his  favorite 
authors,  whose  works  are  found  in  his 
well  chosen  library,  together  with  stand- 
ard works  of  reference  and  many  others 
of  a  miscellaneous  character. 

He  married,  October  28,  1891,  Julia 
May  Humphrey,  of  West  Alexandria, 
daughter  of  Robert  Humphrey,  of  Ohio 
county.  West  Virginia,  a  descendant  of 
Robert  Humphrey,  a  soldier  of  the  Revo- 
lution and  founder  of  the  town  of  West 
Alexandria.  Their  only  son,  Dwight 
Humphrey  Fee,  born  September  4,  1892, 
graduated  from  the  Canonsburg  High 
School,  and  is  engaged  in  newspaper 
work  in  Pittsburgh.  The  family  are 
members  of  the  Canonsburg  United  Pres- 
byterian Church. 


FREEMAN,  Edward  Jacob, 

Iieading   Physician. 

For  a  quarter  of  a  century  a  leading  ex- 
ponent of  the  healing  art  in  Freemans- 
burg,  Pennsylvania,  Dr.  Freeman  has  in 
the  years  that  have  intervened  since  his 
retirement  in  1898  been  equally  success- 
ful in  his  business  affairs.  Scion  of  an 
old  English  family  he  traces  to  Colonial 
ancestors  in  this  country,  and  in  Penn- 
sylvania, the  village  of  Freemansburg,  in 
the  Lehigh  Valley,  standing  as  a  memo- 
rial to  the  early  family,  many  of  whom 
were  large  landowners  in  Bethlehem  and 
Lower  Saucon  township,  Northampton 
county.  Dr.  Freeman  rightfully  came  by 
his  love  for  the  medical  profession,  his 
father.  Dr.  George  W.  Freeman,  having 
been  a  medical  practitioner  from  1852 
until  his  death  in  1898,  nearly  half  a  cen- 
tury. The  work  of  the  two  Doctors  Free- 
man was  carried  on  in  association  for 
four  years,  then  each  practiced  alone. 
The  long  period  these  two  healers  prac- 


2032 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ticed  in  Freemansburg  made  their  names 
most  familiar  in  that  section,  which  in 
two  hundred  years  has  not  been  without 
Freemans  of  prominence. 

Dr.  George  W.  Freeman  was  born  in 
Freemansburg,  Pennsylvania,  in  1832, 
died  May  16,  1898,  son  of  Jacob  and 
Susan  (Butz)  Freeman.  He  was  early 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Free- 
mansburg and  Bethlehem,  preparing  for 
college  at  Professor  Vandeveer's  private 
school  at  Easton,  Pennsylvania.  For 
three  years  he  studied  medicine  under  the 
guidance  of  Dr.  C.  C.  Field,  of  Easton, 
then  entered  the  medical  department  of 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  whence 
he  was  graduated  Doctor  of  Medicine, 
class  of  1852.  In  the  latter  year  he  began 
practice  in  Freemansburg,  and  there  con- 
tinued his  work  in  medicine  and  surgery 
until  his  death,  a  period  of  forty-six  years. 
He  was  a  skillful  physician,  conducted 
an  honorable  practice,  and  was  greatly 
beloved.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Northampton  County  Medical  Society, 
for  many  years  served  in  official  capacity, 
and  was  held  in  highest  esteem  by  his 
professional  brethren.  He  married  Ma- 
tilda Seip,  daughter  of  Edward  Seip,  of 
Easton,  Pennsylvania.  Children :  Ed- 
ward Jacob,  of  whom  further ;  Mary 
Ellen,  married  G.  W.  Bachman ;  Walter 
S.,  M.  D.,  a  practicing  physician  of  Phila- 
delphia, married  Jane  Unangst ;  Adelia, 
died  in  infancy. 

Edward  Jacob  Freeman,  eldest  of  the 
children  of  Dr.  George  W.  and  Matilda 
(Seip)  Freeman,  was  born  in  Easton, 
Pennsylvania,  December  18,  1851.  His 
early  education  was  obtained  in  the  pub- 
lic schools,  his  preparatory  education  in 
Swartz  Academy,  South  Bethlehem.  He 
then  entered  Lehigh  University,  but  in 
the  middle  of  his  sophomore  year  left  the 
university,  and  entered  the  medical  de- 
partment of  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 


vania, being  then  eighteen  years  of  age. 
He  continued  his  study  at  the  latter  insti- 
tution, took  high  honors  and  was  gradu- 
ated Doctor  of  Medicine,  class  of  1873. 
He  at  once  began  practice  with  his  hon- 
ored father  in  Freemansburg,  continuing 
this  association  until  1877.  They  both 
continued  in  practice  in  Freemansburg 
twenty-one  years,  practicing  separately 
but  in  closest  sympathy.  In  1898  both 
retired,  the  elder  doctor  being  called  away 
by  the  Great  Physician,  the  younger  sur- 
rendering his  practice  to  devote  himself 
to  the  management  and  development  of 
the  business  interests  he  had  acquired. 
Dr.  Edward  J.  Freeman  was  a  member  of 
the  Northampton  Medical  Society,  was  a 
skillful  physician  and  surgeon,  had  a 
large  practice  and  was  wherever  known 
highly  esteemed  professionally  and  soci- 
ally. Although  he  is  a  business  man,  he 
is  brought  less  in  contact  with  the  public, 
he  has  a  large  circle  of  friends  to  whom 
he  will  ever  be  the  "Doctor"  and  family 
friend.  He  is  broad-minded,  public- 
spirited,  and  useful,  bearing  the  kindliest 
feelings  toward  all,  and  joining  with  his 
lifetime  friends  in  all  that  tends  to  pro- 
mote the  welfare  of  the  community.  He 
is  a  devoted  member  of  the  German  Re- 
formed Church,  an  active  helpful  worker 
in  its  service.  He  holds  fraternal  rela- 
tions with  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  Hul- 
dah  Lodge,  No.  364. 

Dr.  Freeman  married  Emily  J.,  daugh- 
ter of  John  and  Eliza  (Reigel)  Knecht. 
Children :  Anna  Elizabeth,  three  having 
died  in  infancy.  The  family  residence  is 
in  Freemansburg,  where  surrounded  by 
the  many  evidences  of  his  ancestors  and 
fruits  of  his  years  of  successful  endeavor. 
Dr.  Freeman  is  passing  the  early  autumn 
of  a  useful  honorable  life.  Anna  Eliza- 
beth graduated  from  Moravian  Seminary, 
Bethlehem,  and  National  Park  Seminary 
at  Forest  Glen,  Maryland. 


2033 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


BAIR,  Edward  Henry, 

Ija-wyer,   Man   of   Affairs. 

The  name  Bair  has  been  spelled  in  dif- 
ferent ways,  but  so  far  as  we  can  trace 
it  back,  they  all  came  from  the  same 
original  stock.  The  ancestor  of  Edward 
H.  Bair  came  from  Switzerland,  and  set- 
tled in  Lancaster  county  about  the  year 
1700.  He  and  his  children  were  Swiss 
Mennonites,  and  were  well  known  in  the 
community. 

David  Bair  married  (first)  Elizabeth 
Bowers,  and  (second)  Sarah  Bender.  He 
moved  from  Lancaster  to  Westmoreland 
county  in  the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth 
century.  He  brought  up  a  large  family, 
named,  respectively,  Isaac,  Benjamin,  Se- 
bastian, David,  Henry  N.-  H.,  (mentioned 
below),  Jacob,  Mattie  and  Aaron. 

Henry  Nicholas  Hacke  Bair,  a  son, 
commonly  known  as  H.  H.  Bair,  was  born 
February  2,  1825,  in  Penn  township, 
Westmoreland  county,  and  in  his  youth 
became  a  carpenter  and  blacksmith.  He 
was  decidedly  of  an  inventive  turn  of 
mind,  and,  with  his  brothers,  invented 
and  manufactured  the  machine  known 
for  many  years  as  the  tumbling  shaft 
threshing  machine,  which,  in  the  early 
'50s,  supplanted  the  flail  and  which,  at  a 
later  date,  was  supplanted  by  the  Mas- 
silon  separator.  Mr.  Bair  manufactured 
these  machines  at  Congruity  in  Salem 
township.  He  was  also  the  inventor  of, 
or  at  least  the  first  man  in  this  county,  to 
manufacture  broadcloth  covered  coffins 
for  the  burial  of  the  dead.  These  he  made 
out  of  polar  wood  by  a  process  of  steam- 
ing and  bending  the  sides  to  the  proper 
shape.  This  invention,  though  it  may 
have  been  used  elsewhere,  was  primarily 
his  own  and  became  a  common  mode  of 
cofifin-making  and  remained  so  for  per- 
haps half  a  century. 

The  wife  of  H.  H.  Bair  was  Elizabeth 
E.    Keener,    a    daughter    of    Henry    and 


Susan  (Uber)  Keener,  of  Hempfield 
township.  Susan  (Uber)  Keener  was  a 
direct  descendant  of  the  Frantz  family, 
which  was  also  a  pioneer  family  in  West- 
moreland, the  name  sometimes  being 
spelled  Francis.  This  family  lived  on  a 
farm  now  the  home  of  the  Greensburg 
Country  Club  about  two  miles  northwest 
of  Greensburg.  The  old  stone  house,  the 
family  residence,  stands  a  short  distance 
south  of  the  country  club  house,  and  was 
erected  by  Mrs.  Bair's  grandfather,  Jacob 
Frantz,  great-grandfather  to  Edward  H. 
Bair,  in  1796.  It  is  a  somewhat  peculiar 
incident  that  Edward  H.  Bair  is  now,  and 
has  been  for  the  past  two  years,  president 
of  this  country  club. 

During  the  Indian  troubles  in  the  lat- 
ter part  of  the  eighteenth  century  oc- 
curred the  murder  of  the  Frantz  family, 
and  of  this  the  "History  of  Westmore- 
land County."  by  Mr.  John  N.  Boucher, 
published  in  New  York  in  1906,  has  the 
following: 

The  murder  of  the  Francis  (Frantz)  family 
was  one  of  the  most  inhuman  and  barbarous  in- 
cidents in  border  warfare.  The  family  resided 
two  miles  or  more  east  of  Brush  Creek.  There 
had  been  no  special  alarm  on  account  of  the 
Indians  for  some  months,  and  their  usual  vigi- 
lance was  somewhat  relaxed.  On  the  day  of  the 
murder  they  did  not  have  their  cabin  door  barri- 
caded, and  a  party  of  Indians,  therefore,  very 
easily  gained  access.  Two  of  the  family  were 
killed  at  once  and  the  remaining  members  were 
taken  prisoners.  One  was  a  young  girl  who  lived 
to  return  to  the  settlement  where  she  married 
and  has  left  descendants  in  Hempfield  Township. 
Her  brothers  and  sisters  were  divided  among 
several  tribes  represented  among  the  captors. 
Those  who  were  killed  were  scalped  and  their 
bodies  were  found  near  the  ruins  of  the  cabin 
the  day  following.  They  were  buried  in  the 
garden,  a  custom  then  prevalent  among  the  pio- 
neers and  which  lasted  till  regular  cemeteries, 
or  grave  yards,  as  they  were  called,  were  estab- 
lished. 

It  was  the  great-grandfather  of  Eliza- 
beth (Keener)  Bair,  who  was  murdered  by 


2034 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  Indians  as  above  mentioned,  and  it 
was  the  great-grandmother  and  her 
daughter  who  were  captured.  They  were 
taken  by  the  Indians  to  a  point  along  the 
Monongahela  river,  near  the  present  site 
of  McKeesport.  After  about  six  months 
in  captivity  they  escaped  and  stole  their 
way  back  to  the  home  near  the  present 
Country  Club,  northwest  of  Greensburg. 
Elizabeth  (Keener)  Bair,  the  wife  of 
Henry  Nicholas  Hacke  Bair,  was  born  in 
1824,  and  died  in  1894  at  Congruity,  Penn- 
sylvania. 

H.  H.  Bair,  the  carpenter  and  black- 
smith, was  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Trinity  Reformed  Church  at  New  Salem, 
of  which  he  and  his  wife  were  members. 
In  politics  he  was  a  Democrat.  He  took 
an  active  part  in  the  establishment  of  the 
new  public  school  system  in  the  '50s,  and 
for  many  years  served  as  a  member  of  the 
school  board  in  Salem  township.  At  his 
death  on  January  11,  1872,  he  was  a  can- 
didate for  County  Commissioner  of  West- 
moreland county. 

Edward  Henry  Bair  was  educated  in 
the  public  schools  of  Salem  township  and 
at  the  New  Salem  Academy.  He  relates 
that  perhaps  through  acquaintance  and 
sympathy,  more  than  for  any  other  rea- 
son, he  was  made  a  teacher  at  the  age  of 
sixteen  years  in  Salem  township.  After 
teaching  three  years  he  was  elected  prin- 
cipal of  the  New  Salem  schools,  and  dur- 
ing three  summers,  in  partnership  with 
the  late  Mr.  I.  E.  Lauiifer,  afterwards  a 
member  of  the  Westmoreland  bar,  had 
charge  of  the  New  Salem  Academy.  Mr. 
Bair  was  elected  principal  of  the  Scott- 
dale  schools  in  1881,  and  after  two  years 
of  work  there  he  resigned  and  located  in 
Greensburg  for  the  purpose  of  studying 
law,  and  during  the  same  time  took 
charge  of  the  Ludwick  schools.  Two 
years  later  he  drifted  into  the  real  estate 
and  insurance  business.  He  had,  in  the 
meantime  passed  the  preliminary  law  ex- 


amination and  was  registered  as  a  stu- 
dent with  a  prominent  firm  of  attorneys, 
but  owing  to  the  rapid  growth  of  office 
business  he  abandoned  further  law 
studies,  and  since  then  has  been  largely 
interested  in  Greensburg  real  estate  and 
in  insurance. 

For  twenty-five  years  Mr.  Bair  has 
been  identified  with  many  enterprises, 
being  the  prime  mover  in  forming  the 
Westmoreland  Electric  Company,  later 
the  Greensburg  and  Southern  Street 
Railway  ;  the  Westmoreland  Realty  Com- 
pany, and  the  Iron  City  Land  Company. 
He  is  at  present  the  senior  member  of  the 
firm  of  Bair  &  Lane,  one  of  the  leading 
real  estate  and  insurance  firms  of  West- 
ern Pennsylvania.  He  is  vice-president 
of  the  Greensburg  Finance  Company,  a 
director  in  the  Merchants'  Trust  Com- 
pany, and  is  largely  interested  in  numer- 
ous other  enterprises  in  Westmoreland 
county. 

In  religion  Mr.  Bair  is  a  member  of  the 
Second  Reformed  Church  of  Greensburg, 
and  has  been  a  trustee  of  that  church  for 
many  years.  In  politics  he  has  kept  the 
traditions  of  his  father  and  is  a  Democrat. 
He  is  a  member  of  Westmoreland  Lodge, 
No.  518,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  of 
Greensburg;  Olivet  Council,  R.  S.  M., 
No.  13 ;  Urania  Chapter,  R.  A.  M., 
No.  192 ;  Kedron  Commandery,  No.  18, 
Knights  Templar;  Ancient  and  Accepted 
Scottish  Rite,  Valley  of  Pittsburgh  ;  Syria 
Temple,  Ancient  Arabic  Order  Nobles  of 
the  Mystic  Shrine,  and  the  present  secre- 
tary of  the  Greensburg  Masonic  fund. 

One  of  Mr.  Bair's  chief  ambitions,  in  a 
business  sense  and  for  the  general  good, 
is  to  bring  about  a  consolidation  of  the 
numerous  boroughs  surrounding  the  bor- 
ough of  Greensburg,  in  order  that  the 
town  may  become  a  city,  and  a  leading 
one  in  Western  Pennsylvania  for  ideal 
homes.  He  has,  also,  always  taken  a 
great  interest  in  the  public  school  system. 


2035 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


but  he  is  at  war  with  the  present  high 
school  system  as  carried  on  in  Greens- 
burg  and  most  towns  in  Pennsylvania. 
He  believes  that  it  is  the  bounden  duty 
of  the  commonwealth  to  give  to  each 
boy  and  girl  a  sufficient  preliminary  edu- 
cation to  fit  them  to  become  good  and 
useful  citizens,  and  to  give  them  the  rudi- 
ments of  an  education  in  the  vocations 
which  are  chosen  for  their  life  work.  But 
he  does  not  believe  that  the  high  schools 
should  be  preparatory  schools  for  large 
colleges.  He  believes  that  a  parent  who 
intends  that  his  children  shall  enter  the 
professions  demanding  a  complete  col- 
lege education,  should  pay  for  this  ad- 
vanced training,  and  not  secure  it  through 
the  high  school,  which  is  kept  up  largely 
by  local  taxation,  the  burden  of  which  is, 
in  a  great  measure,  borne  by  citizens  who 
cannot  afiford  a  superior  education  for 
their  children. 

Mr.  Bair  has  not  posed  as  a  public 
speaker,  but  has  frequently  made  ad- 
dresses, and  all  of  them  are  character- 
ized as  direct  and  concise  in  their  style. 
When  on  the  aggressive  it  seems  to  be 
easy  for  him  to  completely  puncture  the 
object  aimed  at.  His  address  before  the 
annual  convention  of  the  Merchants' 
Association  of  Southwestern  Pennsyl- 
vania, delivered  in  Greensburg,  Febru- 
ary 22,  191 1,  on  "Co-Insurance-Fire 
Waste-Legislation,"  has  been  printed  in 
pamphlet  form  and  is  considered  a  mas- 
terpiece of  its  kind. 

But  though  deeply  engaged  in  business 
of  various  kinds,  Mr.  Bair  is,  above  all, 
an  insurance  man,  and  to  that  has  given 
the  best  years  of  his  life.  He  is  an  author- 
ity on  that  most  important  economic  sub- 
ject, not  only  in  the  courts  of  our  county 
but  throughout  the  State  as  well.  Aside 
from  his  business  engagements,  he  has 
given  much  time  and  thought  toward  im- 
proving and  beautifying  the  borough  of 
Greensburg,    his  cherished  desire    being 


that  it  may  become  an  ideal  community 
in  which  to  live. 

Mr.  Bair,  on  October  14,  1885,  was 
united  in  marriage  with  Esther  Mary 
Suydam,  of  Latrobe,  Pennsylvania,  a 
daughter  of  Joseph  L.  and  Mary  (White) 
Suydam.  Her  father,  until  a  short  time 
before  his  death,  was  superintendent  of 
the  Wilmington  and  Delaware  railroad, 
and  resided  at  Coatesville,  Pennsylvania. 
Mrs.  Bair  was  educated  in  the  schools  of 
Coatesville  and  Latrobe.  Their  children 
are:  Paul  Suydam,  Kenneth  Henry, 
Helen,  Edward  Hart,  Esther  and  Joseph 
Lawrence. 


POTTER,  WUliam  G., 

Enterprising  Business  Man. 

When  considering  the  various  agencies 
to  which  a  town,  village,  or  city  owes  its 
advancement  and  development,  the  im- 
portant part  which  a  responsible  real 
estate  dealer  plays  is  in  no  way  to  be 
neglected.  It  is  in  this  line  of  endeavor 
that  William  G.  Potter,  of  Washington, 
Pennsylvania,  has  been  of  inestimable 
value  to  his  city,  for  through  his  acute 
business  perspicacity  much  desirable  cap- 
ital and  many  manufacturing  interests 
have  been  attracted  to  this  region. 

He  was  born  in  West  Finley  township, 
Washington  county,  Pennsylvania,  in 
1869,  son  of  William  and  Margaret 
(Hutchinson)  Potter.  The  family  had 
been  planted  in  Pennsylvania  in  1810  by 
his  grandfather,  John  Potter,  who  moved 
there  from  New  Jersey.  His  father  was  a 
man  who  was  several  years  in  advance  of 
his  generation  in  his  social  views,  and 
advocated  earnestly  and  sincerely  the 
abolition  of  the  slave  traffic  at  a  time 
when  such  sentiments  were  so  unpopular 
as  to  be  almost  treason. 

William  G.  Potter  obtained  his  educa- 
tion in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
county,  and  later  attended  the  State  nor- 


2036 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


mal  school  at  Edinburg,  Erie  county, 
Pennsylvania.  After  his  graduation  he 
became  a  school  teacher,  a  profession  in 
which  he  continued  for  ten  years.  At  the 
end  of  that  time  he  enlisted  in  the  con- 
tracting and  building  business  in  Wash- 
ington, and  the  experience  and  informa- 
tion gained  while  engaged  in  that  busi- 
ness made  a  sturdy  reliable  foundation 
for  the  business  he  founded  five  years 
later,  when  he  opened  a  real  estate  office. 
As  an  accompanying  interest  he  also  con- 
ducts a  general  insurance  business.  In 
politics  Mr.  Potter  makes  a  firm  and  une- 
quivocal stand  for  the  lofty  principles  of 
the  Prohibition  party,  and  to  show  the 
more  clearly  the  implacability  of  his  posi- 
tion, has  several  times  allowed  his  name 
to  be  advanced  as  the  candidate  of  his 
party  for  public  office. 

He  and  his  wife,  Sabina  E.  (Ashbrook) 
Potter,  are  members  of  the  Second  United 
Presbyterian  Church  and  he  is  now  one 
of  the  trustees  of  the  church.  He  com- 
mands a  high  position  in  the  community 
as  a  successful  business  man,  a  good  citi- 
zen and  a  gentleman. 


DETWILER,  David  S., 

Retired  Mannfactnrer,   Financier. 

Variously  spelled  by  the  Pennsylvania 
branches  of  the  family  Detwiler,  Det- 
weiler,  and  Detwiller,  these  lines  are 
American  representatives  of  the  Swiss 
family  of  Datwyler,  whose  European 
home  was  in  the  Canton  of  Basle,  town  of 
Langenbruck,  where  it  is  found  as  early 
as  1608  through  record  mention.  Medi- 
cine, finance,  and  business  have  been  the 
fields  in  which  the  talents  of  the  family 
have  shown  to  the  best  advantage,  and 
Dr.  Henry  Detwiler,  who  died  in  Easton, 
Pennsylvania,  April  21,  1887,  was  the  pio- 
neer of  the  Hahnemann  school  in  Amer- 
ica, and  at  his  death  "probably  the  oldest 
practitioner  in  the  world."  Business  activ- 


ity and  management  have  brought  promi- 
nence to  the  line  of  David  S.  Detwiler,  of 
Wrightsville,  Pennsylvania,  which  is  de- 
scended from  Joseph  Detwiler,  a  member 
of  the  early  Swiss  family.  His  family 
lived  near  the  Swiss-German  frontier  of 
Baden,  in  Switzerland,  and  from  that 
place,  accompanied  by  his  brother,  John, 
he  came  to  America,  the  two  brothers  be- 
longing to  a  family  of  four,  the  others 
a  brother,  Samuel,  and  a  sister,  Mary. 
From  his  first  home,  near  Octoraro 
Creek,  below  Safe  Harbor,  Lancaster 
county,  he  moved  to  Bambridge,  on  the 
Susquehanna  river,  below  Harrisburg. 

Joseph  (2)  Detwiler,  son  of  Joseph  (i) 
Detwiler,  was  born  at  Bambridge,  Penn- 
sylvania, in  1789,  and  died  in  Hellam 
township,  near  Wrightsville,  York  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania,  April  30,  1870.  He 
grew  to  maturity  in  the  place  of  his  birth 
and  there  resided  until  1820,  when  he 
moved  to  York  county  and  purchased  the 
farm  in  Hellam  township  in  whose  culti- 
vation he  passed  his  remaining  years.  He 
prospered  in  his  operations,  enlarged  the 
homestead  and  built  the  barn  that  stands 
at  this  time,  and  became  the  occupant  of 
important  place  in  the  public  life,  serving 
as  supervisor  of  Hellam  township  and  as 
county  commissioner,  always  elected  to 
office  as  the  candidate  of  the  Democratic 
party.  Among  the  business  interests  to 
which  he  gave  his  time  and  attention  was 
the  managership  of  the  Wrightsville  Pike, 
an  office  in  which  he  was  succeeded  at 
death  by  his  son,  David.  Joseph  (2)  Det- 
wiler married,  at  Bambridge,  Pennsyl- 
vania, Susan  Garber,  her  father  a  success- 
ful farmer,  and  had  children :  David,  of 
whom  further ;  Joseph,  a  wealthy  land, 
stone  quarry,  and  lime  kiln  owner,  since 
i860  a  director  of  the  Union  National 
Bank  of  Mt.  Joy,  Pennsylvania;  Daniel 
H.,  a  financier  and  business  man,  presi- 
dent of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Colum- 
bia   (see   record    in   this    work)  ;   Susan ; 


2037 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Solomon,  deceased,  cashier  of  the  First 
National  Bank,  of  Columbia ;  Anna,  mar- 
ried Abram  Hiestand,  deceased,  a  farmer, 
miller,  and  distiller. 

David  Detwiler,  eldest  son  of  Joseph 
(2)  and  Susan  (Garber)  Detwiler,  was 
born  in  January,  1818,  on  the  Lancaster 
Pike  near  Columbia,  Lancaster  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  died  December  13, 
1898.  When  he  was  two  years  of  age  his 
parents  moved  to  the  farm  in  York  coun- 
ty, near  Wrightsville,  and  there  he  grew 
to  manhood,  obtaining  his  education  in 
the  township  schools.  He  continued  as 
his  father's  farm  assistant  until  the  lat- 
ter's  death,  then  succeeded  to  the  man- 
agement, remaining  at  the  homestead  un- 
til 1879.  David  Detwiler  also  succeeded 
his  father  as  supervisor  and  manager  of 
the  Wrightsville  turnpike,  holding  that 
position  for  twenty-five  years.  He  was 
a  Democrat  in  politics,  held  the  office  of 
school  director  in  Hellam  township  for 
several  years,  and  was  a  man  held  in  high 
esteem.  In  1879  he  built  the  house  in 
Wrightsville  later  occupied  by  his  daugh- 
ter, Anna,  and  there  resided  until  his 
death.  After  moving  to  Wrightsville  he 
served  as  director  of  the  First  National 
Bank  of  that  town,  but  lived  a  practically 
retired  life.  He  married  Sarah  Stoner, 
born  in  Hellam  township,  York  county, 
Pennsylvania,  February  6,  1829,  died  in 
December,  1901.  daughter  of  Henry  and 
sister  of  Emanuel  Stoner,  of  Hellam 
township.  Children :  Paul,  a  resident 
of  Wrightsville ;  Anna,  married  George 
Graybill ;  David  Stoner,  of  further  men- 
tion ;  Ella  K.,  married  Dr.  George  A.  Reb- 
man,  of  Wrightsville,  whom  she  survives. 

David  Stoner  Detwiler,  second  son  and 
third  child  of  David  and  Sarah  (Stoner) 
Detwiler,  was  born  on  the  homestead 
farm  near  Wrightsville,  Pennsylvania, 
January  11,  1856.  He  grew  to  manhood 
at  the  homestead,  his  father's  assistant 
and  a  student  until  his  nineteenth  year. 


He  obtained  his  education  in  the  town- 
ship schools,  finishing  his  studies  at  Mil- 
lersville  State  Normal  School,  attending 
the  latter  institution  during  the  school 
terms  of  1874-75.  After  leaving  the  nor- 
mal he  returned  to  the  farm,  remaining 
there  four  years.  In  1881  he  began  busi- 
ness in  Wrightsville  as  a  dealer  in  leaf 
tobacco  and  manufacturer  of  cigars,  con- 
tinuing most  successfully  for  twenty-five 
years.  His  purchase  of  leaf  tobacco  ex- 
ceeded $50,000  annually,  and  the  annual 
output  of  his  factory  for  many  years  was 
four  million  cigars.  He  took  his  father's 
place  on  the  board  of  directors  of  the  First 
National  Bank,  and  acquired  other  busi- 
ness interests  of  importance  in  the  town. 
In  1906,  after  rounding  out  a  successful 
quarter  of  a  century  as  a  manufacturer, 
he  retired  from  business,  only  retaining 
interest  in  his  fine  farm  of  one  hundred 
and  ten  acres  in  Hellam  township,  chiefly 
devoted  to  dairy  farming. 

Mr.  Detwiler  cast  his  first  presidential 
vote  for  Samuel  J.  Tilden,  the  Democratic 
candidate  for  president  in  1876.  He  was 
elected  chief  burgess  of  Wrightsville  on 
the  Democratic  ticket  and  gave  the  bor- 
ough an  efficient  business  administration, 
his  term  expiring  in  March,  1903.  During 
his  active  years  he  was  prominent  in  all 
departments  of  Wrightsville  interests, 
and  bore  his  full  share  in  all  that  per- 
tained to  the  borough's  development.  He 
was  the  wise  executive  head  of  his  own 
business  and  to  public  affairs  he  gave  the 
same  careful  attention.  He  held  the  high 
regard  of  his  fellowmen  and  was  rightly 
rated  one  of  the  leading  citizens  of  the 
borough.  Although  now  retired  and  no 
longer  in  the  public  eye,  he  retains  all  of 
his  old-time  interest  and  spirit  and  is  the 
trusted  friend  and  adviser  of  those  on 
whom  the  burden  of  affairs  has  fallen. 

Mr.  Detwiler  married,  October  12,  1886 
Matilda  G.,  daughter  of  William  H.  and 
Eliza  (Beaverson)  Kerr,  of  Wrightsville. 


2038 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Children:  Helen  B.,  married  William  J. 
Wilson,  of  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania, 
and  has  a  son,  Edward  Detwiler  Wilson ; 
Reba  May,  residing  with  her  parents  at 
Wrightsville. 


ELKIN,  William  F., 

Postal    0£acial. 

William  F.  Elkin,  postmaster  of  the 
town  of  Jeannette,  Westmoreland  county, 
Pennsylvania,  is  a  man  of  strict  integrity, 
careful  and  industrious  habits,  and  one 
who  stands  high  in  the  esteem  of  his  fel- 
lowmen.  He  is  a  descendant  of  an  honor- 
able ancestry  in  Ireland,  who  were  for 
the  most  part  engaged  in  agriculture. 

William  Elkin,  his  father,  was  born  in 
Ireland,  and  emigrated  to  America  in 
1867,  and  located  at  Newburgh,  New 
York,  where  he  lived  for  a  time.  From 
there  he  removed  to  Pittsburgh,  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  worked  as  a  puddler  in  an 
iron  plant  until  1888,  then  established 
himself  in  the  hotel  business  in  Pitts- 
burgh, continued  this  two  years,  then 
removed  to  Jeannette,  Westmoreland 
county.  He  opened  a  hotel  in  this  town, 
and  conducted  it  successfully  until  his 
death.  He  gave  his  political  support  to 
the  Republican  party,  and  was  a  member 
of  the  Episcopal  church.  He  married 
Elizabeth  Elkin,  and  they  became  the 
parents  of  twelve  children,  of  whom  six 
are  living  at  the  present  time. 

William  F.  Elkin,  son  of  William  and 
Elizabeth  (Elkin)  Elkin,  was  born  in  the 
city  of  Pittsburgh,  December  17,  1878. 
He  acquired  his  preparatory  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  his  native  city,  then 
became  a  student  at  the  Indiana  State 
Normal  School,  from  which  he  was  grad- 
uated in  the  class  of  1898.  He  then 
joined  a  military  company  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Volunteers,  and  was  in  service  for 
a  period  of  six  months.  Having  been  ap- 
pointed to  a  clerkship  in  the  office  of  the 


attorney-general  at  Harrisburg,  Pennsyl- 
vania, he  filled  this  office  very  capably  for 
three  years,  then  became  bookkeeper  at 
a  glass  plant  at  Moosic,  Lackawanna 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  after  a  time 
was  promoted  to  the  responsible  position 
of  manager  of  the  plant,  the  duties  of 
which  office  he  discharged  efficiently  for 
four  years.  He  next  opened  a  hotel  at 
Moosic,  which  he  conducted  personally 
four  years,  when  he  removed  to  Jeannette, 
in  which  town  he  has  been  a  prominent 
resident  since  that  time.  He  received  his 
appointment  as  postmaster  under  the  Taft 
administration,  and  so  excellent  has  been 
his  management  of  this  office,  that  he  is 
still  retaining  the  position,  although  the 
political  party  in  power  has  changed  in 
the  meantime.  He  has  always  given  his 
active  support  to  the  Republican  party, 
and  has  been  a  consistent  member  of  the 
Episcopal  church.  Fraternally  he  is  a 
member  of  the  Junior  Order  of  United 
American  Mechanics  and  the  Benevolent 
and  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  Mr.  Elkin 
married  Hannah  Lynn. 


GARVIN,  Milton  Thomas, 

Merchant,   Man   of   Affairs. 

Milton  Thomas  Garvin,  dry  goods  mer- 
chant of  Lancaster,  was  born  August 
14,  i860,  in  Fulton  township,  Lancaster 
county. 

His  father  was  Milton  Young  Garvin, 
a  son  of  Thomas  and  Tobitha  (Brown) 
Garvin,  whose  paternal  ancestors  came 
from  the  north  of  Ireland  and  settled  in 
Delaware  in  1745.  His  father's  maternal 
ancestors,  the  Brown  family,  came  to 
Pennsylvania  with  William  Penn,  even- 
tually settling  in  Chester  county  with  a 
colony  of  Friends  or  Quakers  and  it  was 
there  that  Thomas  Garvin  and  Tobitha 
Brown  were  married  and  moved  to  Cecil 
county,  Maryland,  where  their  children 
were  born   and   reared.     The  mother  of 


2039 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Milton  Thomas  Garvin  was  Hannah  Re- 
becca Hannum,  a  daughter  of  Malcaijah 
and  Ellen  (Reynolds)  Hannum.  The 
Hannums  were  Welsh  Quakers  and  the 
Reynolds  were  English  Quakers  and  had 
settled  in  Pennsylvania  about  the  middle 
of  the  eighteenth  century  and  all  followed 
the  vocation  of  farming.  The  subject  of 
this  sketch  was  early  left  without  pater- 
nal care,  as  his  father  died  in  West  Vir- 
ginia at  an  early  age,  leaving  his  son  to 
be  brought  up  among  relatives.  Mr.  Gar- 
vin spent  his  boyhood  days  with  his  fath- 
er's sister,  Elizabeth  Garvin  Dunn,  on  a 
farm  in  Cecil  county,  Maryland.  At  the 
age  of  thirteen  his  uncle  having  died,  he 
came  to  Lancaster  City  to  live  with  his 
mother,  who  was  now  married  to  William 
J.  Baer.  A  few  months  later,  in  1874,  at 
the  age  of  fourteen  years,  he  entered  the 
dry  goods  store  of  R.  E.  Fahnestock  as 
errand  boy  and  two  years  later  was  pro- 
moted to  be  salesman.  In  1882  through 
physical  infirmities,  Mr.  Fahnestock  was 
obliged  to  have  someone  of  his  employees 
to  manage  his  business  and  assume  its 
cares  and  the  selection  fell  upon  Mr.  Gar- 
vin, who  had  just  passed  his  majority. 
Appreciating  the  responsibility,  he  took 
vigorous  hold  and  managed  this  business 
successfully  for  twelve  years. 

In  1886,  Mr.  Garvin  married  Catherine. 
the  widow  of  Abijah  D.  Gyger,  and  a 
daughter  of  Anthony  and  Catherine  (Mc- 
Laughlin) Lechler,  who  was  born  at 
Paradise,  this  county,  where  her  father 
was  a  well  known  and  popular  hotel 
keeper.  From  this  union  there  has  been 
no  children. 

In  1894,  on  account  of  physical  infirmi- 
ties. Mr.  Fahnestock  retired  from  busi- 
ness and  Mr.  Garvin  succeeded  him.  On 
March  5th,  of  that  year,  under  the  name 
of  M.  T.  Garvin  &  Company,  he  began 
his  new  business  career  with  modern  and 
up-to-date  principles  and  methods.  The 
business  then  was  located  in  35  and  37 


East  King  street,  fi^rst  floor,  the  second 
and  third  floors  of  the  main  building  be- 
ing used  as  offices.  In  a  very  few  years 
these  offices  were  absorbed  and  remod- 
eled into  the  store  and  the  building  other- 
wise enlarged.  Then  the  second  and  third 
floors  of  31  and  33  East  King  street  ad- 
joining were  secured  and  finally  in  191 1 
a  new  building  on  this  site  four  stories 
high  and  250  feet  deep  was  erected  and 
occupied.  In  1915  the  building  at  29  East 
King  street  was  also  absorbed,  making 
three  entire  buildings  devoted  to  this  rap- 
idly increasing  business.  The  force  of 
twelve  clerks  and  employees  which  was 
sufficient  in  1894  now  numbers  about 
150,  which  number  is  much  increased  in 
busy  seasons.  Mr.  Garvin  is  deeply  inter- 
ested in  the  welfare  of  his  employees  and 
has  adopted  many  progressive  ideas  for 
their  general  welfare,  education  and  de- 
velopment. 

All  movements  for  the  general  good  of 
the  community  have  Mr.  Garvin's  interest 
and  he  is  allied  with  many  of  its  institu- 
tions. He  is  a  trustee  of  both  the  A.  Herr 
Smith  and  Mechanics  libraries;  president 
of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Shippen 
School  for  Girls ;  trustee  of  the  Mead- 
ville  Theological  Seminary,  at  Meadville, 
Pennsylvania ;  director  and  ex-president 
of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce ;  director  of 
the  Lancaster  Development  Company ; 
director  of  the  Lancaster  General  Hos- 
pital and  the  Lancaster  Charity  Society ; 
a  member  of  the  Humane  Society,  Chil- 
dren's Aid  Society,  Historical  Society  and 
other  kindred  organizations.  Religiously, 
Mr.  Garvin  is  a  Liberal  and  a  member  of 
the  Church  of  Our  Father,  Unitarian,  of 
Lancaster,  and  has  been  chairman  of  its 
board  of  trustees  ever  since  its  founda- 
tion in  1902.  He  is  president  of  the  Jo- 
seph Priestley  Conference  of  Unitarian 
Churches  and  a  vice-president  of  the  Uni- 
tarian Laymen's  League  of  America,  of 
which  ex-President  Taft  is  president,  and 


2040 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


a  trustee  of  the  People's  Octoraro  Meet- 
ing House  of  Cecil  county,  Maryland,  for- 
merly a  Friends  Meeting  House,  where 
his  grandparents  are  buried.  He  is  also 
a  member  of  the  American  Society  of 
Psychical  Research  and  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Society  of  New  York. 

Tempermentally  and  politically,  Mr. 
Garvin  is  a  Democrat,  but  without  parti- 
san bitterness.  He  has  an  abiding  faith 
in  the  ability  of  mankind  to  work  out  its 
political,  social  and  economic  salvation 
and  favors  an  ever  increasing  measure  of 
democracy  for  all  people  to  this  end.  In 
1906,  Mr.  Garvin  was  candidate  for  mayor 
on  the  platform  that  Lancaster  City 
should  own  its  own  filter  plant,  and  while 
Lancaster  has  a  large  Republican  major- 
ity, the  returns  showed  he  lacked  but  73 
votes  of  being  elected. 

Mr.  Garvin  has  traveled  quite  exten- 
sively in  America  and  has  visited  Europe 
four  times,  making  a  study  of  its  history, 
its  art  and  its  architecture  and  also  the 
government  of  its  cities.  His  interests 
are  many  and  cover  every  movement 
which  makes  for  the  progress  of  mankind. 


REYNOLDS,  George  Nelson, 

Insurance  Actuary,  Enterprising  Citizen. 

In  the  person  of  George  Nelson  Rey- 
nolds the  ancient  New  England  family  of 
Reynolds  is  represented  in  the  business 
world  of  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,  the 
course  of  his  career  having  taken  him 
from  the  home  of  his  birth  and  of  his 
ancestors  to  New  York  and  thence 
throughout  the  west,  finally  to  Lancas- 
ter. In  this  city  Mr.  Reynolds  has 
.attained  a  position  of  prominence  and 
importance,  participating  not  only  in  the 
business  but  likewise  in  many  forms  of 
public  life,  and  is  identified  with  many 
of  the  organizations  and  institutions  of 
the  city  that  cherish  its  welfare  and  ad- 
vancement. 


His  family,  which  occupies  a  worthy 
place  in  New  England  history,  was  there 
founded  in  1636  by  Robert  Reynolds,  a 
native  of  England,  who  in  that  year  set- 
tled in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  where  his 
death  occurred  April  27,  1G69.  The  line 
to  George  Nelson  Reynolds  is  through 
his  son.  Captain  Nathaniel,  born  in  Eng- 
land, who  accompanied  his  father  to 
America.  During  the  King  Philip's  War 
he  held  the  rank  of  captain  in  the  colonial 
forces,  and  in  1675-76  was  in  command 
of  the  garrison  at  Chelmsford,  Massachu- 
setts. In  1658  he  was  made  a  member 
of  the  Ancient  and  Honorable  Artillery 
of  Boston,  and  was  one  of  the  founders 
of  Bristol,  Rhode  Island,  where  his  death 
occurred  July  10,  1708. 

Nathaniel,  eldest  son  of  Captain  Na- 
thaniel Reynolds,  was  born  in  Boston, 
Massachusetts,  March  3,  1662,  his  home 
for  a  long  time  being  at  the  corner  of 
Milk  and  Washington  streets,  Boston, 
and  he  died  in  Marblehead,  Massachu- 
setts. 

Nathaniel  (3),  son  of  Nathaniel  (2) 
Reynolds,  was  born  in  Boston,  Massa- 
chusetts, January  14,  1693,  and  there  died 
in  1740.  He  married,  in  1712,  Mary  Snell, 
daughter  of  Thomas  Snell,  who  came 
from  England  to  Massachusetts. 

Nathaniel  (4),  son  of  Nathaniel  (3) 
Reynolds,  was  born  in  Boston,  March  19, 
1718,  and  died  in  Vassalboro,  Maine,  in 
1807.  He  was  for  a  time  a  resident  of 
Bridgewater,  Massachusetts,  where  he 
was  the  first  justice  of  the  peace,  and  mar- 
ried Hannah,  daughter  of  Samuel  Hart- 
well,  having  issue. 

Philip,  son  of  Nathaniel  (4)  Reynolds, 
was  born  in  North  Bridgewater,  Massa- 
chusetts, September  19,  1740,  and  died  in 
January,  1775.  He  was  a  private  in  Cap- 
tain Dunbar's  company  at  the. time  of  the 
expedition  to  Crown  Point  during  the 
French  and  Indian  W^ar.  Philip  Reynolds 


2041 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


married,  October  29,  1765,  Hannah, 
daughter  of  David  Packard. 

William,  son  of  Philip  Reynolds,  was 
born  in  North  Bridgewater,  Massachu- 
setts, June  23,  1767,  and  died  in  Winthrop, 
Maine,  in  1854.  He  married,  November 
3,  1791,  Martha  Snell,  daughter  of  Cap- 
tain Zebedee  Snell,  who  served  in  Colonel 
Mitchell's  regiment  in  the  War  for  Inde- 
pendence. 

Nathan,  son  of  William  Reynolds,  was 
born  in  North  Bridgewater,  Massachu- 
setts, in  1796,  and  died  in  Lewiston, 
Maine,  October  24,  1859.  He  was  the 
principal  founder  of  the  Lewiston  Falls 
Academy,  and  a  man  of  influence  and 
importance  in  his  community.  He  mar- 
ried, November  10,  181 5,  Betsey  Briggs, 
of  an  old  Massachusetts  family,  number- 
ing among  her  ancestors  Governor  Wil- 
liam Bradford  and  Elder  William  Brew- 
ster. 

Major  Nelson  Briggs  Reynolds,  son  of 
Nathan  Reynolds,  was  born  in  Lewiston, 
Maine,  May  16,  1819,  and  died  in  Auburn, 
Maine,  February  6,  1898.  He  prospered 
in  the  mercantile  operations  that  were 
his  lifelong  pursuit,  and  was  the  first 
postmaster  of  Lewiston,  Maine,  appoint- 
ed to  that  office  by  President  James  K. 
Polk.  A  lifelong  Democrat,  he  was  for 
many  years  a  member  of  the  State  Cen- 
tral Committee,  and  always  an  enthusi- 
astic supporter  and  wise  adviser  of  his 
party.  He  afiiliated  with  the  Congrega- 
tional church.  Major  Nelson  Briggs  Rey- 
nolds married,  November  28,  1839,  Har- 
riet Andrews  Chase,  who  belonged  to  a 
New  England  family  that  was  founded 
in  America  by  Aquila  Chase  but  nine 
years  after  the  arrival  of  Robert  Rey- 
nolds. Aquila  Chase,  the  founder,  who 
came  to  Hampton,  New  Hampshire,  in 
1639,  was  born  in  1618,  son  of  Aquila, 
born  August  14,  1580,  grandson  of  Rich- 
ard, born  April  16,  1654,  and  great- 
grandson  of  Thomas  Chase,  of  Hundrich, 


parish  of  Chesham,  England.  Aquila 
Chase,  the  American  ancestor,  died  in 
Newbury,  Massachusetts,  December  27, 
1670,  his  line  descending  through  Aquila, 
born  September  6,  1652,  died  July  29, 
1720;  Joseph,  born  November  25,  1677; 
Rev.  Stephen,  born  October  26,  1705, 
died  in  January,  1778.  He  was  gradu- 
ated from  Harvard  College  in  1728,  and 
married  Jane  Wingate,  daughter  of  Colo- 
nel Joshua  Wingate,  of  Hampton,  New 
Hampshire,  who  commanded  a  company 
at  the  siege  of  Louisburg  in  1745  ;  John 
Wingate,  born  August  14,  1749,  died  in 
Portsmouth,  New  Hampshire,  in  No- 
vember, 1791,  married  Abigail  Tappan ; 
Captain  Benjamin  Tappan,  born  Febru- 
ary 20,  1786,  a  sea  captain,  died  at  sea, 
a  victim  of  yellow  fever,  April  3,  1821. 
He  commanded  a  company  in  the  War  of 
1812,  and  married,  September  29,  1814, 
Hannah  Andrews,  of  Bridgeton,  Maine, 
daughter  of  Samuel  Andrews,  grand- 
daughter of  Samuel  Andrews  and  his 
wife,  Elizabeth  Emerson,  her  grand- 
father a  corporal  in  Captain  James  An- 
drews' Company,  Colonel  Thacher's 
Massachusetts  Regiment,  in  the  expedi- 
tion to  Crown  Point  in  1755,  dying  in  the 
army  hospital  at  Albany,  New  York,  in 
1757.  Hannah  Andrews  was  a  descend- 
ant of  Major  Thomas  Leonard,  born  in 
England  in  1641,  who  settled  in  Taun- 
ton, Massachusetts,  where  he  died  De- 
cember I,  1713,  the  first  iron  manufac- 
turer in  New  England  and  a  descendant 
of  Thomas  Leonard,  Earl  of  Sussex  in 
England,  and  Sir  Roger  Finnes,  of  Eng- 
land. Major  Thomas  Leonard  married, 
August  21,  1662,  Mary  Watson,  of  Ply- 
mouth, Massachusetts,  daughter  of 
George  Watson  and  Phoebe  Hicks,  who 
numbered  among  her  ancestors  Sir  Ellis 
Hicks,  who  was  knighted  by  the  Black 
Prince  on  the  battlefield  of  Poitiers  in 
1356.  Harriet  Andrews  Chase,  wife  of 
Major   Nelson    Briggs   Reynolds,   was   a 


2042 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


daughter  of  Captain  Benjamin  Tappan 
and  Hannah  (Andrews)  Chase,  and  was 
born  in  Portland,  Maine. 

George  Nelson  Reynolds,  of  the  tenth 
American  generation  of  his  family,  eld- 
est son  of  the  seven  children  of  Major 
Nelson  Briggs  and  Harriet  Andrews 
(Chase)  Reynolds,  was  born  in  Lewiston, 
Maine,  October  30,  1842.  As  a  youth  he 
attended  the  academy  founded  by  his 
grandfather,  Lewiston  Falls  Academy, 
and  was  graduated  from  this  institution 
in  1S59.  Determining  upon  an  active 
business  career,  he  at  once  sought 
broader  fields  than  those  offered  at  home, 
and  became  employed  in  the  New  York 
establishment  maintained  by  Stone, 
Bowman  &  Bliss.  Milwaukee,  Wiscon- 
sin, was  his  next  place  of  business,  and 
in  that  city  he  formed  an  association 
with  the  Manhattan  Life  Insurance  Com- 
pany, of  New  York,  representing  this 
concern  at  dififerent  points  throughout 
the  West  for  a  period  of  five  years.  At 
the  end  of  this  time  he  resigned  from 
the  service  of  the  Manhattan  Life  Insur- 
ance Company  and  became  connected 
with  the  Union  Mutual  Life  Insurance 
Company,  of  Boston,  going  to  Philadel- 
phia in  the  interests  of  that  company. 
Since  October  10,  1889,  he  has  been  offi- 
cially connected  with  the  Northwestern 
Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company  of  Mil- 
waukee, Wisconsin,  soon  after  that  date 
moving  to  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania.  His 
capacity  in  the  employ  of  the  Northwest- 
ern Company  is  that  of  general  agent,  and 
he  has  been  a  leader  in  insurance  circles 
in  Lancaster  since  taking  up  his  residence 
in  this  city.  Other  business  interests 
have  also  claimed  his  attention  largely, 
and  in  addition  to  these  have  come  the 
many  social,  fraternal,  religious,  and  civic 
duties  that  compose  the  activities  of  the 
useful,  energetic  citizen.  For  nine  years 
he  held  a  place  upon  the  Lancaster  school 
board,  was  for  two  years  president  of  the 


Young  Men's  Democratic  Club,  is  direc- 
tor and  secretary  of  the  Hamilton  Club, 
and  was  at  one  time  widely  named  for 
the  office  of  mayor  of  the  city.  He  is  a 
trustee  and  secretary  of  the  Yeates  In- 
stitute, and  trustee  of  the  Bishopthorpe 
School  for  Girls.  His  fraternal  affiliations 
are  with  the  Masonic  order,  and  in  this 
he  holds  the  thirty-second  degree.  An- 
cient Accepted  Scottish  Rite,  his  lodge 
No.  13,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  of 
Milwaukee.  Mr.  Reynolds  is  a  member 
of  the  Pennsylvania  Society  of  New  York, 
the  New  England  Society  of  Philadel- 
phia, since  1899  of  the  Society  of  Colonial 
Wars  of  New  York,  and  of  the  Mayflower 
Descendants  Society,  of  Philadelphia.  He 
is  a  communicant  of  St.  James  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church,  of  which  he  has  for 
many  years  been  a  vestryman,  now  also 
holding  the  office  of  junior  warden.  With 
many  of  the  activities  of  the  church  in  the 
city  and  the  diocese  he  is  intimately  re- 
lated, and  is  treasurer  of  the  board  of 
missions  for  the  diocese  of  Harrisburg, 
a  member  of  the  board  on  general  foreign 
and  domestic  missions,  and  was  once  a 
trustee  of  the  Christmas  Fund  of  the 
Diocese  of  Central  Pennsylvania,  a  fund 
devoted  to  the  maintenance  of  aged 
clergymen  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
church.  He  has  attended  the  last  three 
General  Conventions  of  the  church  as 
delegate. 

Mr.  Reynolds  is  president  of  the  Lan- 
caster and  Susquehanna  Turnpike  Com- 
pany, and  of  the  Elmlawn  Cemetery  As- 
sociation, of  Buffalo,  New  York.  His 
record  is  one  of  business  achievement  of 
high  order,  and  his  progressive  public 
spiritedness  has  prompted  service  to  the 
city  and  its  institutions  that  do  credit  to 
his  citizenship.  To  his  work  in  relation 
to  the  religious  denomination  with  which 
he  is  identified  he  has  addressed  himself 
with  sincere  consecration,  yet  bringing 
to  his  problems  in  financial  matters  the 


PEN-VoI  VI-14 


2043 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


wise,  reliable  judgment  that  has  marked 
his  business  career  with  success.  His 
worth  and  merit  are  recognized  by  his 
associates  in  the  city  of  his  adoption,  and 
universal  popularity  and  respect  are  his. 
George  Nelson  Reynolds  married,  No- 
vember 7,  1865,  Helen,  daughter  of  Theo- 
dore and  Louise  Henderson  Monroe 
(Board)  Koues,  paternally  descended 
from  Governors  Winthrop  and  Dudley  of 
Massachusetts,  and  maternally  from  New 
York  Dutch  and  Huguenot  ancestry. 
Children  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Reynolds  :  Mary 
Leaycraft,  born  in  New  York,  deceased ; 
Nelson  Bradford,  born  in  Milwaukee, 
Wisconsin,  deceased ;  Louise  Bogert, 
born  in  Philadelphia,  married  Benjamin 
F.  Fisher,  of  that  city;  George  Koues, 
born  in  Philadelphia,  October  i,  1875, 
married  to  Lillian  McFalls ;  Frank  Win- 
throp, born  in  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania, 
July  28,  1882. 


Be  FREES,  Joseph  Hutton, 

Frominent  Business  Man. 

Called  from  a  business  career  active 
and  successful  to  membership  in  the  As- 
sembly of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania, 
Joseph  Hutton  DeFrees,  of  Warren, 
Pennsylvania,  is  in  no  application  of  the 
word  a  politician.  His  nomination  as  the 
candidate  of  the  Washington  party  in 
1912  and  his  subsequent  election  were 
honors  that  came  to  him  unsolicited,  his 
recommendation  to  his  party  for  this 
choice  having  been  a  reputation  for  fair 
dealing  in  his  business  life. 

Joseph  Hutton  DeFrees  was  born  in 
Mead  township.  Warren  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, November  25,  1874,  son  of  Wil- 
liam S.  and  Maria  Sill  (Rogers)  De  Frees, 
his  father  a  native  of  Ohio,  his  mother 
born  in  Pennsylvania. 

Joseph  Hutton  DeFrees  was  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  Bellefontaine, 
Ohio,    there    graduating   from    the    high 


school,  and  in  the  medical  department  of 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  in  which 
he  was  a  student  for  three  years.  His 
studies  completed,  he  in  young  manhood 
became  associated  with  an  uncle,  B.  W. 
Rogers,  a  lumber  manufacturer.  Since 
that  time  this  business  has  been  con- 
ducted as  the  Rogers  Lumber  Company. 
Mr.  DeFrees  has  been  identified  with 
numerous  other  business  enterprises,  and 
at  the  present  time  is  vice-president  of 
the  Pennsylvania  Metal  Culvert  Com- 
pany. His  standing  among  his  business 
associates  in  Warren  is  testified  by  his 
presidency  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
of  the  city,  an  organization  at  once  strong 
and  useful  in  the  promotion  of  the  city's 
industrial  welfare.  He  is  a  citizen  re- 
spected and  universally  well-regarded, 
his  record,  private  or  public,  business  or 
political,  reflecting  upon  him  credit  as  a 
gentleman  of  high  principle. 

He  married,  October  28,  1902,  Anne 
Isabel,  daughter  of  C.  W.  Stone  (de- 
ceased), ex-Lieutenant  Governor  of  Penn- 
sylvania. Mrs.  DeFrees  is  a  woman  of 
broad  culture  and  wide  education,  and 
the  mother  of  Joseph  H.,  Jr.,  born  Sep- 
tember I,  1905;  Charles  Warren  Stone, 
born  April  3,  1908;  Anne,  born  September 
19,  191 1  ;  June,  born  June  11,  1914. 


BROBST,  James  C,  M.  D., 

Physician,  Enterprising  Citizen. 

Professional  attainment,  worthy  and 
honorable  as  it  was,  by  no  means  relates 
the  story  of  the  activity  and  achievement 
of  Dr.  James  C.  Brobst,  of  Lititz,  Penn- 
sylvania, for  prominent  as  was  the  posi- 
tion to  which  he  rose  in  the  practice  of 
medicine  he  yet  gave  largely  of  his  time 
and  service  to  non-professional  enter- 
prises and  interests.  Political  affairs  al- 
ways held  an  attraction  for  him,  and  he 
long  occupied  place  in  the  councils  of  the 
Republican    party    in    Lancaster   county, 


2044 


)lc0i^vv^u(M/v>-xr6\yi"^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


while  in  the  fraternal,  religious,  educa- 
tional, and  business  life  of  his  community 
he  played  an  important  part.  Just  as  the 
actual  activity  of  Dr.  Brobst  could  be 
confined  to  no  one  field  so  did  his  in- 
fluence extend  throughout  all  channels  of 
the  community  life  and  in  all  ways  he 
stood  for  the  best  in  citizenship  and  in 
civil  life. 

In  the  arrival  of  Philip  Brobst  and  his 
wife  Cerine  from  Germany  in  1720  and 
their  settlement  in  Albany  township, 
Berks  county,  Pennsylvania,  there  was 
founded  in  the  United  States  the  line  of 
which  Dr.  James  C.  Brobst  was  a  mem- 
ber. Philip  Brobst  was  a  potter  by  trade, 
in  his  new  home  following  agriculture  as 
his  occupation,  and  was  the  father  of 
three  sons,  Martin,  Michael,  and  Valen- 
tine. All  were  members  of  the  Lutheran 
church,  and  the  church  records  of  the 
locality  have  the  following  entry:  "In 
1740  Parson  Muhlenberg  gave  them  a 
small  tract  of  land  on  which  the  three 
brothers,  with  the  assistance  of  some  new 
settlers,  built  a  church  and  school  house 
which  is  occupied  from  that  day  to  this 
for  the  worship  of  God,  by  the  name  of 
'Allimimgle  Church.' " 

Valentine,  son  of  Philip  and  Cerine 
Brobst,  came  with  his  parents  from  the 
homeland.  He  studied  for  the  medical 
profession,  and  made  his  home  for  a  time 
in  Baltimore,  Maryland,  where  he  was 
one  of  the  founders  of  Baltimore  Col- 
lege. Among  his  sons  were  Valentine 
and  Martin. 

Valentine  (2),  son  of  Dr.  Valentine 
Brobst,  was  born  in  Albany  township, 
Berks  county,  Pennsylvania.  He  was 
for  a  time  a  farmer,  subsequently  enter- 
ing the  profession  of  his  father,  and,  after 
moving  to  Reading,  Pennsylvania,  be- 
came proprietor  of  a  hotel.  He  prospered 
in  business,  and  was  one  of  the  largest 
landowners    in    the    county,    among   his 


holdings  being  coal  lands  of  great  value 
in  Schuylkill  and  Northumberland  coun- 
ties. He  is  buried  in  the  burial  ground 
of  Trinity  Lutheran  Church,  of  which  he 
was  a  member.  He  and  his  wife,  a  Miss 
Leavy,  were  the  parents  of  Christian, 
of  whom  further,  Elizabeth,  Mary,  Cath- 
arine, Margaret,  Diana,  Sophia,  and  Mag- 
dalena. 

Christian,  son  of  Valentine  (2)  Brobst, 
was  born  in  Albany  township,  Berks 
county,  Pennsylvania,  November  29, 
1787.  After  reaching  man's  estate  he  en- 
gaged in  farming  until  1814,  in  which 
year  he  moved  to  Rehrersburg,  Pennsyl- 
vania, there  becoming  proprietor  of  the 
well  known  hostelry,  "Brobst  House." 
His  death  occurred  December  14,  1828, 
and  he  is  buried  in  the  Lutheran  Ceme- 
tery. He  married  a  Miss  Kreider  and 
had  children :  Valentine,  of  whom  fur- 
ther, Michael,  Henry,  William,  John,  and 
Eliza. 

Valentine  (3),  son  of  Christian  Brobst, 
was  born  at  Reading,  Pennsylvania,  Jan- 
uary 31,  1809,  and  in  his  youth  availed 
himself  of  his  opportunities  and  secured 
an  excellently  thorough  education.  He 
became  a  hat  manufacturer  at  Rehrers- 
burg, and  was  also  for  a  quarter  of  a 
century  proprietor  of  the  "Brobst 
House,"  which  his  father  had  managed 
and  owned  before  him.  Prior  to  the  ap- 
pearance of  Lincoln  in  public  life  he  was 
a  Democrat,  but  supported  Lincoln's  be- 
liefs and  policies  and  from  that  time  was 
a  Republican.  He  represented  his  dis- 
trict in  the  House  of  Representatives,  was 
postmaster  of  Rehrersburg,  and  was  also 
justice  of  the  peace.  His  church  was  the 
Lutheran.  Valentine  Brobst  was  a  suc- 
cessful business  man,  faithful  in  the  dis- 
charge of  his  public  duties,  and  was 
highly  regarded  by  his  fellows.  He  mar- 
ried, in  1832,  Mary,  daughter  of  Peter 
Miller,  of  Hamburg,  Berks  county,  and 


2045 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


had  children:  Edward,  M.  D.,  John  A., 
M.  D.,  Sally,  James  C,  M.  D.,  of  whom 
further,  and  Mary  E. 

Dr.  James  C.  Brobst,  youngest  of  the 
three  sons  of  Valentine  and  Mary  (Mil- 
ler) Brobst,  fourth  of  their  five  children, 
and  third  of  their  sons  to  adopt  the  medi- 
cal profession,  was  born  in  Rehrersburg, 
Pennsylvania,  August  i8,  1844,  and  died 
February  15,  1915,  at  Lititz,  Pennsyl- 
vania. His  classical  education  was  ob- 
tained in  the  Myerstown  Palatinate  Col- 
lege and  Franklin  and  Marshall  College, 
and  he  was  graduated  from  the  latter  in- 
stitution with  the  highest  class  honors  in 
1861,  delivering  the  valedictory  address. 
He  at  once  began  professional  study  un- 
der the  preceptorship  of  his  brother,  Dr. 
John  A.  Brobst,  of  Bernville,  Berks 
county,  here  preparing  for  entrance  to 
the  medical  department  of  the  University 
of  Pennsylvania.  Completing  his  course 
at  the  university,  he  was  graduated  in 
the  class  of  1865,  during  the  course  of 
his  studies  in  this  institution  serving  as 
assistant  surgeon  of  the  Forty-sixth  Regi- 
ment Pennsylvania  Volunteer  Infantry, 
receiving  an  honorable  discharge  at  the 
end  of  the  war.  After  professional  study 
in  Bellevue  Hospital  Medical  College,  of 
New  York,  whence  he  was  graduated  in 
1867,  Dr.  Brobst  began  the  practice  of 
his  profession  at  Leesport,  Berks  county, 
and  ever  afterward  was  active  in  medical 
work.  Dr.  Brobst  remained  in  Leesport 
for  three  years,  for  the  following  five 
years  was  located  at  Mohrsville,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  from  September  14,  1873, 
was  closely  identified  with  the  medical 
profession  of  Lancaster  county,  on  that 
date  taking  up  his  residence  in  Lititz, 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  lived  until  his 
death. 

Dr.  Brobst's  professional  standing  was 
of  the  highest,  the  forty-two  years  of  his 
labors  in  Lancaster  county  productive  of 
great  good  and  benefit.     He  was  a  mem- 


ber of  the  Lancaster  County  Medical  So- 
ciety and  the  Pennsylvania  State  Medical 
Association,  and  was  the  founder  and  to 
the  time  of  his  death  conducted  the  Lititz 
Spring  Sanitarium.  His  associations 
with  the  institutions  and  organizations 
of  the  county  were  many,  and  in  his  earl- 
ier years  were  even  more  numerous.  For 
twelve  years  he  was  president  of  the 
Lititz  Electric  Light  Company,  of  which 
he  was  an  organizer,  for  ten  years  he  was 
director  of  the  Womelsdorf  Water  Com- 
pany, was  intimately  connected  with  the 
Lancaster  County  Fair  Association,  of 
which  he  was  director  and  for  three  years 
president,  was  director  of  the  Schuylkill 
Valley  Railroad,  was  president  of  the  In- 
land Chemical  Company  of  Lititz,  manu- 
facturers of  proprietary  medicines,  direc- 
tor of  the  Lititz  and  Lancaster  Turnpike 
Company,  and  president  of  the  Lititz 
Lithographing  Company.  For  many  years 
he  was  the  well  known  proprietor  of  a 
drug  store  in  Lititz,  and  in  that  locality 
had  real  estate  holdings  of  large  value. 
His  political  party  was  the  Republican, 
and  as  the  candidate  of  this  party  he  was 
elected  to  the  office  of  burgess  of  Lititz. 
Party  conventions  in  the  State  and  county 
were  attended  by  him  as  delegate,  and 
his  political  influence  was  ever  used  in 
favor  of  the  Republican  organization.  In 
religion  he  was  a  believer  in  the  Moravian 
faith,  interested  in  the  educational  work 
of  that  church  as  member  of  the  Mora- 
vian School  Association  and  as  trustee  of 
Linden  Hall  Seminary.  He  fraternized 
with  the  Masonic  order,  and  belonged  tc^ 
the  Lancaster  County  Historical  Society. 
Dr.  Brobst,  as  may  be  readily  seen  from 
the  foregoing  brief  outline  of  his  career, 
was  a  gentleman  of  broad  interests,  and 
in  each  of  his  relations  to  his  town  and 
county  bore  his  full  share  of  burden  and 
responsibility.  Local  charities  found  in 
him  a  generous  friend,  and  his  sympathy 
and    support    were   granted    all    projects 


2046 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF   BIOGRAPHY 


promising  the  g-ood  of  his  fellows.  Much 
of  usefulness  and  helpfulness  came  from 
him  in  the  course  of  his  long  union  with 
Lancaster  county  interests,  and  his  re- 
ward was  in  the  regard,  respect,  and  con- 
fidence of  all  who  knew  him. 

Dr.  James  C.  Brobst  married,  in  1868, 
Emma  E.  Mohr,  daughter  of  Isaac  H. 
Mohr,  of  Mohrsville,  Berks  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, member  of  the  family  from 
whom  the  town  derived  its  name,  and 
had  children:  Helen,  married  Benjamin 
F.  Grosh,  deputy  treasurer  of  Lancaster 
county,  and  Valentine,  educated  at 
Schuylkill  Seminary,  Franklin  and  Mar- 
shall Academy,  and  Medico-Chirurgical 
College  of  Philadelphia. 

Benjamin  F.  Grosh  was  born  in  Milton 
Grove,  Pennsylvania,  December  12,  1880, 
son  of  Frank  B.  Grosh  and  grandson  of 
Benjamin  Grosh.  His  grandfather  was 
the  founder  of  the  village  of  Centerville, 
now  Milton  Grove,  Pennsylvania,  and 
was  well  known  in  that  locality,  pro- 
prietor of  a  general  store  and  active  in  all 
of  the  town's  business  enterprises.  His 
son,  Frank  B.  Grosh,  was  the  first  post- 
master of  Milton  Grove,  Pennsylvania, 
like  his  father  proprietor  of  a  general 
store,  and  for  thirty-five  years  was  justice 
of  the  peace.  All  of  his  acquaintances  for 
miles  around  the  countryside  knew  him 
only  by  the  familiar  title  of  "Squire."  He 
married  Anna  Brenneman. 

Benjamin  F.  Grosh,  son  of  Frank  B. 
and  Anna  (Brenneman)  Grosh,  was  edu- 
caetd  in  the  schools  of  his  birthplace  and 
in  the  Lancaster  Business  College,  his 
active  career  beginning  when  he  was  a 
youth  of  sixteen  years.  At  this  time  he 
accepted  a  position  in  the  office  of  the 
"Elizabethtown  Chronicle,"  there  re- 
maining for  three  years,  after  which  he 
came  to  Lancaster.  In  that  city  he  con- 
tinued his  connection  with  journalism, 
joining  the  office  force  of  the  "Lancaster 
Enquirer,"     under    the     supervision     of 


Major  Elwood  Griest,  and  one  year 
later  formed  a  connection  with  the  "Lan- 
caster New  Era."  With  this  last  paper 
he  was  for  three  years  in  the  job  depart- 
ment, afterward  being  employed  for  six 
months  on  the  Altoona,  Pennsylvania, 
"Mirror,"  as  printer.  Mr.  Grosh  returned 
to  Lancaster  at  the  end  of  this  time,  and 
until  December,  1904,  was  employed  on 
the  paper  with  which  he  was  formerly 
associated,  the  "Lancaster  New  Era."  At 
this  date  he  became  a  clerk  in  the  office 
of  the  county  recorder,  in  May,  1906,  re- 
ceiving the  appointment  as  deputy  county 
treasurer.  He  has  been  reappointed  for 
each  following  term,  and  is  the  present 
incumbent  of  the  office,  filling  his  posi- 
tion with  faithful  competence.  In  con- 
nection with  his  official  duties,  Mr.  Grosh 
serves  as  director  and  treasurer  of  the 
Lititz  Lithographing  Company. 


ROBBINS,  Edward  Everett, 

liaipyer,   Congressman,   Soldier. 

Hon.  Edward  Everett  Robbins,  of 
Greensburg,  Pennsylvania,  a  prominent 
lawyer,  statesman,  and  army  officer  in  the 
Spanish-American  War,  traces  his  ances- 
try to  the  earliest  Colonial  times. 

Richard  Robbins,  the  emigrant  ances- 
tor, came  from  England  in  1630,  self-ex- 
patriated because  of  his  opposition  to  the 
restoration  of  the  monarchy  under 
Charles  II.,  and  so  conspicuous  that  he 
was  obliged  to  come  under  an  assumed 
name  and  in  the  guise  of  a  servant.  He 
settled  at  Cambridge,  Massachusetts,  and 
became  active  in  public  afifairs. 

Samuel  Robbins,  son  of  Richard  Rob- 
bins, served  in  King  Philip's  War,  and 
received  a  grant  of  land  in  Voluntown. 
Connecticut. 

Brintnel  Robbins.  great-grandson  of 
Samuel  Robbins,  was  one  of  the  most  en- 
terprising men  of  his  day.  He  was  born 
in  1756,  died  in  1836.     He  served  in  the 


2047 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Connecticut  Line  in  the  Revolutionary 
War  four  years,  participated  in  numerous 
battles,  and  was  commissioned  ensign. 
During  the  War  of  1812  he  built  vessels 
on  Lake  Erie  for  Commodore  Perry,  but 
only  received  payment  after  prolonged 
litigation.  Before  1790  he  located  at 
Connellsville,  Pennsylvania,  and  worked 
iron  ore  in  the  Turnbull  Furnace.  Sub- 
sequently he  purchased  a  farm  at  Port 
Royal,  and  built  a  flour  mill  at  Long  Run. 
In  1790  he  bought,  from  the  State  of 
Pennsylvania,  a  large  tract  of  land  on 
the  Youghiogheny  river,  which  is  still  in 
the  possession  of  his  descendants.  In 
1812  he  removed  to  Pittsburgh,  where  he 
became  an  extensive  ship  builder  and  coal 
operator.  In  1813  he  built  two  schooners 
which,  loaded  with  flour  and  cheese  for 
the  West  Indies,  were  remanned  at  New 
Orleans  with  Spanish  sailors  and  never 
afterward  heard  from.  During  the  latter 
part  of  his  life  he  resided  at  Greensburg, 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  died  August  25, 
1836,  and  was  buried  in  the  "Old  Harrold 
Cemetery,"  near  that  city. 

Joseph  Robbins,  son  of  William  Rob- 
bins  and  grandson  of  Brintnel  Robbins, 
was  born  at  Robbins  Station,  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  1824,  died  July  12,  1912.  He 
was  the  pioneer  coal  operator  in  Yough- 
iogheny district,  opening  an  extensive 
mine  at  Osceola  in  1848.  He  was  active 
in  public  affairs,  served  as  school  direc- 
tor twelve  years,  was  a  Republican,  and 
a  delegate  to  various  conventions.  In 
religious  belief  he  was  a  Presbyterian. 
He  married  (first)  Rachel  G.  Gordon 
Robbins,  who  died  in  1865;  he  married 
(second)  Margaret  Christy.  He  had 
seven  children. 

Hon.  Edward  Everett  Robbins,  eldest 
child  of  Joseph  and  Rachel  G.  Gordon 
(Robbins)  Robbins,  was  born  at  Robbins 
Station,  Westmoreland  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, September  27,  1861.  He  attended 
the   public   schools  of  that   section,   and 


was  then  a  student  at  Elder's  Ridge 
Academy  and  Indiana  Normal,  Pennsyl- 
vania, from  whence  he  went  to  Wash- 
ington and  Jefferson  College,  and  was 
graduated  from  this  institution  in  1881 
with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts,  be- 
ing sixth  in  a  class  of  thirty-six.  He 
took  up  his  professional  studies  in  the 
Law  Department  of  Columbia  Univer- 
sity, New  York  City,  was  graduated  in 
1884  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Laws, 
and  in  the  same  year  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  of  Westmoreland  county.  He  im- 
mediately became  active  in  his  profes- 
sion and  also  in  public  life.  In  1885  he 
was  nominated  for  the  office  of  district 
attorney.  In  1888  he  was  elected  a  mem- 
ber of  the  State  Senate  and  served  with 
efficiency  until  1892.  He  was  the  prime 
mover  in  three  important  acts  of  legis- 
lation— the  bill  appropriating  five  thous- 
and dollars  to  the  Children's  Aid  Society, 
thus  securing  the  present  home  of  this 
beneficent  institution,  this  being  the  first 
State  aid  for  any  purpose  secured  by  the 
people  of  Westmoreland  county;  the  bill 
for  providing  free  text  books  in  the  pub- 
lic schools ;  and  the  law  for  the  equaliza- 
tion of  taxation.  He  was  also  chairman 
of  the  Senate  Judiciary  Committee.  He 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  Fifty-fifth 
Congress  in  1898  and  served  until  1900. 
During  the  Fifty-fifth  Congress  while 
the  Dingley  Tariff  Bill  was  under  con- 
sideration, Mr.  Robbins  appeared  before 
the  Committee  of  the  Whole  and  address- 
ed it  with  much  earnestness  in  behalf  of 
a  protective  tarifl^,  with  special  reference 
to  the  coal,  iron  and  glass  schedules.  He 
introduced  a  bill  regulating  slack  water 
in  the  Allegheny  and  Youghiogheny 
rivers.  He  visited  Cuba  in  1897  and  was 
one  of  the  Congressmen  who  maintained 
that  the  United  States  government  should 
take  steps  to  put  an  end  to  Spanish  rule 
in  Cuba  and  adjoining  islands  and  the 
territory    formerly    occupied    by    Spain, 


2048 


tl^^^^l^^^  L6:^^-^<z>6/i^-z^y^^:^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF   J510(Ji^\J'J  1 Y 


which  was  the  direct  means  of  bringing      interests  of  a  large  and  important  clien- 


I 


on  the  war  with  that  country.  His  in- 
terest in  behalf  of  Cuban  independence 
and  his  speeches  in  advocacy  thereof 
were  able  and  brilliant,  and  based  upon 
ample  knowledge,  he  having  visited  the 
island  and  made  himself  acquainted  with 
the  conditions  there. 

At  the  outbreak  of  the  Spanish-Ameri- 
can War  he  was  one  of  the  three  members 
of  Congress  who  entered  the  army,  and 
on  June  15,  1899,  was  commissioned  cap- 
tain and  quartermaster  of  the  First 
Brigade,  Third  Division,  First  Army 
Corps,  on  the  staff  of  General  John  A. 
Wiley,  at  Camp  Thomas,  Georgia.  He 
entered  the  army  with  experience,  hav- 
ing long  served  in  the  National  Guard 
of  Pennsylvania  as  private,  lieutenant, 
major,  brigade  quartermaster  and  finally 
as  commissary-general  on  the  staff  of 
Governor  Stone.  This  experience  was 
now  of  great  value,  and  he  was  detailed 
for  the  special  duty  of  equipping  and  for- 
warding troops  to  the  front.  His  suc- 
cess brought  him  promotion,  August  21, 
1899,  to  the  position  of  chief-quarter- 
master, with  the  rank  of  major  of  United 
States  Volunteers,  and  he  was  placed  in 
charge  of  the  transport  "Seneca,"  and 
sent  to  Porto  Rico  with  the  United  States 
Commissioners,  Admiral  Schley  and 
General  Gordon.  He  served  at  Ponce, 
San  Juan  and  Santiago,  and  was  in 
charge  of  the  transports  "Mobile,"  "Ches- 
ter," and  "Grant."  With  the  close  of  the 
war  Quartermaster-General  Luddington 
offered  him  a  commission  as  major  in  the 
regular  army,  but  he  declined  and  tend- 
ered his  resignation,  which  was  accepted 
and  he  was  honorably  discharged  by 
Special  Order  No.  243,  by  the  adjutant- 
general  of  the  army,  November  14,  1899, 
and  with  special  commendation  for  his 
services. 

Mr.  Robbins  resumed  his  legal  practice 
in  1900.  He  has  not  only  guarded  the  legal 


tele,  but  he  is  also  solicitor  for  the  Balti- 
more &  Ohio  and  the  Ligonier  Valley 
Railroad  companies,  and  adviser  for  sev- 
eral corporations  with  which  he  is  iden- 
tified, and  which  are  large  commercial 
and  financial  factors  in  the  business  of 
his  city  and  county.  He  was  one  of  the 
organizers,  and  is  now  vice-president,  of 
the  Safety  Deposit  &  Trust  Company  of 
Greensburg;  has  been  connected,  as 
stockholder  and  director,  since  its  organi- 
zation in  1900,  with  the  West  Pennsyl- 
vania Coal  &  Coke  Company ;  director  in 
the  Atlantic  Coal  Company  since  its  or- 
ganization in  1905 ;  is  a  director  in  the 
Wilmerding  National  Bank,  the  Connells- 
ville  Basin  Coke  Company ;  president  of 
the  Garrett  Coal  Company ;  stockholder 
in  several  other  banks  and  industrial  cor- 
porations ;  a  trustee  of  the  Washington 
and  Jefferson  College.  His  club  mem- 
bership is  with  the  Americus,  Duquesne 
and  the  University.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Greens- 
burg, and  was  president  of  its  Board  of 
Trustees  from  1903  to  1908.  He  has  al- 
ways given  his  unwavering  allegiance  to 
the  Republican  party. 

Mr.  Robbins  married,  December  17, 
1897,  Luella  Moore,  daughter  of  J.  W. 
and  Elizabeth  S.  Moore,  of  Greensburg. 
Children  :  Edward  E.,  born  December  2, 
1900:  William  M.,  born  March  26,  1902. 


OMWAKE,  George  Leslie, 

Minister  and  Educator. 

The  Omwake  family  in  America  is  "not 
large,  but  it  traces  its  history  from  the 
earlier  period  of  the  great  German  migra- 
tion to  this  country  in  the  eighteenth 
century.  The  progenitor,  Leonhardt  am 
Weg,  was  a  member  of  the  original  band 
of  German  pietists  who  gathered  in  the 
region  of  Schwartzenau.  in  Hesse-Cassel, 
to  propagate  a  form  of  faith  and  practice 


2049 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


which  was  to  be  in  strict  accord  with  the 
teachings  of  the  New  Testament.  Since 
this  involved  a  change  in  the  manner  of 
administering  the  rite  of  baptism  from 
that  which  prevailed  in  the  established 
churches,  this  became  in  the  popular 
mind  the  distinguishing  feature  and  the 
new  sect  came  to  be  known  as  Taufer 
brethren.  Due  to  intolerance  on  the  part 
of  the  authorities  of  the  principality  in 
which  they  lived,  the  company  became 
broken  up  in  1719,  when  a  number  of 
them  came  to  America  and  settled  at 
Germantown.  The  remaining  families 
went  down  the  Rhine  and  found  refuge 
for  a  time  in  Holland.  Their  residence 
here  was  to  be  only  temporary  and  was 
doubtless  undertaken  with  a  view  to  ac- 
cumulating funds  with  which  to  follow 
their  brethren  to  the  hospitable  land  of 
William  Penn.  Alexander  Mack,  the 
leader  of  this  band  had  been  wealthy  but 
by  this  time  had  probably  spent  most  of 
his  substance  in  furnishing  protection  to 
his  followers.  Eventually,  in  1729,  they 
were  able  to  charter  a  ship,  the  "Allen," 
of  which  James  Craigie  was  captain.  On 
July  7,  the  ''Allen."  with  one  hundred  and 
twenty-six  passengers,  embracing  thirty 
families,  set  sail  from  Rotterdam,  and 
after  a  perilous  voyage  of  seventy-one 
days,  arrived  at  Philadelphia. 

Leonhardt  am  Weg  was  accompanied 
by  Magdalina,  his  wife,  and  John  Michael, 
their  son,  a  lad  in  his  teens.  This  family 
probably  proceeded  soon  after  their  ar- 
rival to  the  newly  constituted  county  of 
Lancaster,  within  which,  near  the  present 
site  of  Reinhold's  Station,  John  Michael, 
the  son,  took  title  twenty-five  years  later 
to  three  hundred  acres  of  land.  About 
the  year  1800,  Jacob  Amweg,  Jr.,  a  grand- 
son of  John  Michael,  set  out  from  this 
region  with  his  wife  and  little  son  John  to 
carve  out  his  fortune  in  the  newer  settle- 
ments in  the  fertile  and  attractive  Cum- 
berland   Valley,    finally    settling    in    the 

20 : 


southern  part  of  Franklin  county  near 
Besore's  (later  Salem)  church.  The 
people  of  this  valley  were  mainly  of 
Scotch-Irish  descent,  and  by  them  the 
Amweg  name,  like  many  other  German 
family  names,  was  subjected  to  a  radical 
change  in  spelling  which  strangely 
enough  was  accepted  by  the  family.  This 
branch  of  the  Amweg  family  henceforth 
bore  the  name  Omwake.  Nothing  but 
the  proud  consciousness  that  they  were 
now  no  longer  Germans  but  Americans, 
can  account  for  the  freedom  with  which 
these  patronymic  transformations  were 
allowed  to  take  place. 

John  Omwake,  the  eldest  son  of  Jacob 
Amweg,  Jr.,  succeeded  to  the  homestead 
established  by  his  father.  Of  his  large 
family,  our  interest  centers  in  a  son, 
Henry  Omwake,  father  of  the  subject  of 
this  sketch.  Henry  Omwake  was  born 
in  1830,  began  his  education  about  the 
time  the  common  school  system  of  Penn- 
sylvania was  being  established,  supple- 
mented the  meagre  opportunities  it  af- 
forded with  self-directed  efiforts,  and  be- 
came a  teacher  at  nineteen.  After  he  had 
established  himself  in  his  profession,  he 
married  Eveline  Beaver,  a  daughter  of 
Squire  John  Beaver,  who  was  earlier  a 
noted  schoolmaster  of  the  community  but 
who  had  sometime  since  removed  to  Fort 
Wayne.  Indiana.  They  located  in  the 
neighboring  township  of  Antrim,  where 
after  some  years  of  frugal  life,  in  which 
teaching  finally  gave  way  to  farming, 
they  acquired  the  old  Witmer  homestead 
near  Greencastle.  This  location  was  se- 
lected with  special  reference  to  school 
advantages  for  the  children,  to  all  of 
whom  the  parents  endeavored  to  provide 
advantages  beyond  those  furnished  in  the 
district  school.  The  family  consisted  of 
eleven  children.  Two  of  these  were  re- 
moved by  death  in  childhood,  but  the 
rest,  eight  sons  and  a  daughter,  grew  to 
maturity,  and  for  forty  years,  until  the 
io 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF   BIOGRAJ'IJY 


father  himself  was  taken,  death  did  not 
cross  the  threshold  of  this  home. 

The  representative  of  the  family  under 
consideration  feels  greatly  indebted  to  in- 
fluences surrounding  him  in  his  youth, 
and  it  will  be  in  place  to  review  briefly  a 
few  of  the  features  of  his  boyhood  life. 
As  seventh  in  order  among  the  children, 
he  found  himself  in  the  midst  of  a  group 
of  brothers  whose  ages  were  not  suffi- 
ciently varied  to  break  up  a  rather  close 
community  of  interests.  There  was  a 
wholesome  interchange  and  variety  of 
work  and  play.  The  spirit  of  the  latter 
was  predominant,  and  saved  the  former 
from  ever  becoming  drudgery.  It  was  be- 
fore the  day  when  manual  and  voca- 
tional training  had  become  widely  recog- 
nized as  features  of  education,  yet  the 
school  education  of  these  boys  was  sup- 
plemented by  a  rich  and  varied  home  life 
in  such  manner  as  to  secure  to  them  the 
finest  kind  of  training  in  these  respects. 

By  some  spontaneous  movement  which 
arose  altogether  from  within,  the  lads 
developed  as  a  central  feature  of  their 
play  a  complete  municipal  government, 
and  under  its  forms  the  various  activities 
of  the  home  life  were  carried  forward. 
This  provided  not  only  ofificeholding  with 
explicit  training  in  the  duties  of  a  mayor, 
a  sheriff,  a  treasurer,  etc.,  but  it  led  on  to 
the  full  functions  of  citizenship,  with  its 
social  and  political  obligations  and  duties, 
including  manufacture,  trade  and  finance. 
The  George  Junior  Republic  at  its  best 
could  not  have  been  much  more  efficient 
in  its  training  for  citizenship  than  was  the 
spontaneously  developed  system  of  play 
maintained  by  this  family  of  boys. 

Thus,  at  the  age  of  fourteen,  the  lad 
whose  career  this  article  is  intended  to 
portray,  was  familiar  with  the  forms 
and  use  of  commercial  paper — contracts, 
promissory  notes,  receipts  and  paper 
money.  Of  the  latter,  the  treasurer  was 
authorized  to  issue  a  certain  amount  dur- 


ing each  term  of  office.  The  total  amount 
in  circulation  at  any  time  represented  in 
actual  value  the  sum  of  everything  in- 
cluded in  the  play  outfit  of  the  place.  As 
the  amount  of  money  increased  faster 
than  playthings  accumulated,  money  be- 
came cheap,  everyone  had  plenty  of  it  and 
prices  became  high.  The  citizen-lads  not 
only  learned  business  but  they  picked  up 
soeculation.  Markets  were  cornered  by 
them  long  before  they  had  heard  of  New 
York  and  Chicago  brokers.  Sheriff's  sale 
bills,  with  their  legal  phraseology  copied 
from  those  appearing  in  the  newspapers, 
appeared  not  infrequently  as  notices  of 
business  failures.  Despite  these  failures, 
it  was  easy  to  get  a  new  start.  The 
youngest  lad  once  got  on  his  feet  by  go- 
ing to  the  cane  brake  and  cutting  a  lot 
of  stick  horses  with  which  he  held  a 
"monster  horse  sale,"  according  to  the  ad- 
vertisements. 

A  "town"  like  this  could  not  get  along 
without  new^spapers.  Of  these  there  were 
several,  but  the  earliest  was  "The  News" 
founded  by  our  subject  when  he  was  just 
entering  upon  his  teens,  and  issued  by 
him  almost  continuously  as  a  weekly  for 
several  years.  The  circulation  consisted 
of  one  copy  executed  on  tablet  paper,  but 
it  was  read  as  eagerly  as  any  publication 
that  came  to  the  library  table. 

There  was  a  "court"  for  the  trial  of 
civil  and  criminal  cases,  and  one  of  the 
most  coveted  offices  was  that  of  judge. 
The  number  of  criminal  cases  depended 
somewhat  on  the  activity  of  the  sheriff. 
There  were  few  instances  of  acquittal, 
and  the  sentence  was  always  to  some 
form  of  labor  which  would  have  been  im- 
posed upon  the  group  as  a  whole  by  pa- 
rental authority,  e.  g.,  the  cleaning  of  a 
gravel  walk  in  the  front  yard.  One  lad, 
now  grown  to  manhood  and  possessing 
a  clear  record  as  a  citizen  of  our  country, 
has  a  portion  of  that  walk  to  clean  yet  in 
order  to  clear  himself  before  the  law  of 
'.SI 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


his   youthful   estate.     Another  has  long      was    gotten    in    the    "little    red    school 


since  confessed  to  the  burning  of  his 
brother's  barn,  a  small  structure  of  pine 
shingles.  He  escaped  punishment  at  the 
time,  because  both  the  judge  and  the 
sheriff  were  at  least  "accessories  before 
the  fact"  if  not  particeps  criminis  in  the 
case. 

On  taking  possession  of  the  place,  the 
father  built  a  new  house.  The  original 
residence,  a  stone  structure  of  one  story 
and  a  loft  which  had  stood  from  the  days 
of  the  Penns,  then  became  a  shop  and 
store-house.  In  this  building  many  of  the 
activities  of  the  busy  municipality  cen- 
tered. One  room  contained  a  wood  work- 
ing equipment  with  a  set  of  tools.  Here 
the  rainy  days  were  spent.  At  the  height 
of  the  government's  prosperity,  this  place 
was  the  "agricultural  works"  of  which 
there  were  many  notices  in  the  news- 
papers. Here  was  manufactured  in  mina- 
ture,  almost  every  kind  of  machine  known 
to  the  farm  life  of  the  community.  Each 
boy  made  his  own  design  of  machine  for 
which  he  had  his  trade  mark  and  for 
which  the  "government"  issued  patents. 
An  annual  fair  with  an  outdoor  exhibit 
on  the  lawn  at  which  medals  were 
awarded,  brought  out  the  merits  of  the 
manufacturing  industry. 

Sufficient  has  been  related  to  show  how 
the  afifairs  of  the  great  world  at  large 
were  thus  enacted  in  a  novel  system  of 
play  within  the  confines  of  a  humble 
home  by  this  group  of  school-boy  broth- 
ers. There  was  freedom,  as  this  would 
indicate,  and  yet  there  was  the  restraint 
of  careful  and  solicitous  parents — a  re- 
straint that  in  the  generation  in  which 
this  is  written  would  be  regarded  as  puri- 
tanical. 

Out  of  this  rich  but  regulated  domestic 
environment  came  George  Leslie  Om- 
wake.  He  was  born  on  the  homestead 
near  Greencastle,  Pennsylvania,  July  13, 
1871.     His  formal  rudimentary  education 


house"  of  his  native  district.  His  teach- 
ers were  men,  and  the  school  was  recog- 
nized as  one  of  the  best  in  the  county. 
During  his  school  days  he  developed 
some  skill  in  free-hand  drawing.  At  the 
request  of  his  teacher  he  executed  a  pencil 
portrait  of  George  Washington  for  the 
adornment  of  the  school-room  wall. 
Later,  in  the  high  school,  he  drew  a  cray- 
on sketch  of  Robert  Burns  for  the  cele- 
bration of  "Burns  Day."  About  this 
time  his  father  visited  a  local  artist  with 
a  view  to  having  the  boy  enter  his  studio. 
On  completing  the  high-school  course, 
however,  the  young  man  qualified  as  an 
amateur  teacher,  and  was  appointed  to 
take  charge  of  a  school.  After  teaching 
two  terms  he  entered  the  State  Normal 
School  at  Shippensburg,  from  which  he 
was  graduated  in  1893.  While  here  he 
came  under  the  instruction  of  a  teacher 
of  Latin  who  was  a  recent  graduate  of 
Ursinus  College.  He  had  so  much  re- 
gard for  the  scholarship  and  ability  of 
this  instructor  that  he  resolved  to  go  to 
Ursinus  College,  and  at  once  shaped  his 
course  with  a  view  to  meeting  the  en- 
trance requirements  of  that  institution. 
He  taught  one  term  after  graduation,  and 
immediately  thereafter  entered  the  Mer- 
cersburg  Academy,  where  he  completed 
his  preparation  and  continued  during  an 
extra  year  in  which  he  did  the  freshman 
work  of  the  college  course,  and  at  the 
same  time  earned  his  way  in  the  academy 
by  teaching  elementary  Latin  and  Eng- 
lish and  editing  the  school  monthly.  He 
entered  the  sophomore  class  of  Ursinus 
College  in  the  fall  of  1895,  and  was  gradu- 
ated with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts 
in  1898,  having  pursued  the  classical 
group  of  studies.  In  college  he  showed 
much  better  ability  in  the  reflective  stud- 
ies than  in  those  whose  mastery  depended 
on  verbal  memory. 

The  influence  of  his  home  training,  an 


2052 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAi'ilY 


inherent  desire  to  be  of  service  to  his 
fellow  men,  and  a  little  practical  experi- 
ence in  Christian  work  in  school  and  col- 
lege, led  him  to  choose  the  ministry  of 
the  gospel  as  a  life  work.  Although  a 
member  of  the  Reformed  church  to  which 
his  ancestors  belonged  from  the  days  of 
John  Michael  Amweg,  and  fully  resolved 
to  minister  in  this  church,  he  neverthe- 
less went  to  Yale  for  his  theological 
training.  He  entered  the  Yale  Divinity 
School  in  the  fall  of  1898,  pursued  the 
regular  course,  took  some  studies  also  in 
the  department  of  philosophy  in  the 
Graduate  School,  and  was  graduated  in 
1901.  Before  the  close  of  his  last  year 
at  Yale  he  was  sought  by  the  president 
of  Ursinus  College  to  accept  a  minor 
position  on  the  teaching  staff  of  the  col- 
lege, and  to  devote  some  time  also  to  as- 
sisting him  in  the  administrative  work. 
Looking  upon  the  step  as  only  a  tempo- 
rary one  which  would  be  a  means  of 
eventually  securing  a  pastorate  in  his 
mother  church,  he  accepted.  From  this 
point  forth,  however,  the  logic  of  events 
led  to  a  field  of  service  akin  to,  but  apart 
from  the  ministry,  and  he  was  never  or- 
dained to  that  office. 

The  oldest  member  of  the  faculty,  a 
Yale  man  of  the  class  of  '59,  had  been 
serving  the  college  as  dean.  Although  in 
robust  health,  he  felt  that  he  should  fol- 
low the  example  of  President  Dwight,  of 
his  "alma  mater,"  and  resign  at  seventy. 
The  faculty  chose  its  youngest  member 
as  his  successor,  and  so  Mr.  Omwake 
was  made  dean.  At  the  same  time  he  was 
advanced  to  a  full  professorship  in  edu- 
cation. Professor  Omwake,  after  serv- 
ing six  years  as  dean,  was  made  vice- 
president  in  1909.  The  following  year 
Franklin  and  Marshall  College  conferred 
upon  him  the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor 
of  Pedagogy.  When  the  presidency  be- 
came vacant  in  1912,  he  was  unanimously 
chosen  president  and  was  inducted  into 

20 


office  on  October  7,  1913,  with  fitting 
ceremonies  in  which  representatives  of 
the  leading  universities  and  colleges  of 
the  country  took  part.  During  his  first 
two  years  in  office  extensive  alterations 
and  improvements  were  made  to  the  col- 
lege buildings.  This  enabled  the  new  ad- 
ministration to  take  an  advanced  posi- 
tion on  the  side  of  the  domestic  life  of 
the  students  and  to  establish  a  higher 
standard  of  efficiency  in  college  work. 

President  Omwake  has  responded  to 
the  full  extent  of  his  ability  to  popular 
demands  for  his  services.  For  a  period 
of  years  he  gave  himself  freely  to  work  as 
an  instructor  in  the  teachers'  institutes  of 
the  State,  and  assisted  in  placing  this 
work  on  a  higher  professional  plane.  He 
has  exerted  a  similar  influence  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Pennsylvania  State  Educa- 
tional Association,  of  which  body  he  is  a 
trustee.  He  has  written  much,  and  a  few 
of  his  articles  have,  from  time  to  time, 
appeared  in  educational  and  theological 
journals.  The  burden  of  his  literary 
work  has  been  done  on  the  publications 
issued  by  Ursinus  College,  of  which  he 
has  been  editor  for  twelve  years. 

Dr.  Omwake  was  married,  June  18, 
1902,  to  Bessie  May  Landis,  of  Hummels- 
town,  Pennsylvania,  who  died  February 
10,  1904.  On  August  28,  1906,  he  was 
married  to  Sophie  Hendricks  Cassel- 
berry,  of  Collegeville.  They  have  two 
children,  Stanley  Casselberry  Omwake, 
born  March  15,  1908,  and  Eveline  Beaver 
Omwake,  born  October  i,  191 1.  Besides 
being  president  and  professor  in  the  col- 
lege. Dr.  Omwake  is  superintendent  of 
the  local  Sunday  school  in  Trinity  Re- 
formed Church,  and  as  a  member  of  the 
executive  committee  of  the  Laymen's 
Missionary  Movement  and  of  the  United 
Missionary  and  Stewardship  Committee 
of  the  General  Synod,  he  renders  consid- 
erable service  in  the  wider  work  of  his 
denomination. 
53 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


BOYD,  Samuel  H., 

Man  of  Affairs,   Fnblic   Official. 

Continuously  in  public  service  in  Lan- 
caster county,  Pennsylvania,  his  birth- 
place, since  1886,  Samuel  H.  Boyd,  of 
Columbia,  is  now  the  incumbent  of  the 
office  of  Director  of  the  Poor  of  Lancas- 
ter county,  his  previous  positions  those 
of  Tax  Collector  and  Register  of  Wills  of 
the  county.  Aside  from  his  long  term  of 
service  in  county  offices,  Mr.  Boyd  is 
prominent  in  Columbia  through  numer- 
ous business,  fraternal  and  religious  con- 
nections, and  is  known  throughout  the 
county  as  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  Repub- 
lican party,  his  identification  with  this 
organization  a  lifelong  connection.  Mr. 
Boyd's  record  as  a  public  servant,  his 
energetic  and  interested  activity  in  all 
that  has  been  for  the  best  good  of  Colum- 
bia, and  his  extensive  intercourse  with 
the  people  of  the  city  and  county  have 
placed  him  high  in  popular  favor. 

The  family  of  which  Mr.  Boyd  is  a 
member  has  ancient  and  distinguished 
origin  in  Scotland.  Alan,  First  Lord 
High  Steward  of  Scotland,  married  Mar- 
garet, daughter  of  Fergus,  Earl  of  Gallo- 
way, and  had  five  children,  the  third  being 
Simon,  progenitor  of  the  family  of  Boyd. 
Alan  died  in  1153,  and  Simon,  his  third 
son,  became  the  Second  Lord  High 
Steward  of  Scotland.  Robert,  son  of 
Simon,  being  of  fair  complexion,  was 
called  "Boidle,"  or  "Boidel,"  in  Gaelic 
meaning  "Boyt,"  fair  or  beautiful.  Later 
this  became  a  surname,  and  Robert  Boyd, 
"the  Fair,"  is  the  common  ancestor  of  all 
of  the  name  of  Boyd.  He  died  prior  to 
1240,  A.  D.,  and  left  a  son,  Sir  Robert 
Boyd.  Dean  Castle,  long  the  residence 
of  the  ancient  family  of  Boyd,  stands 
about  a  mile  from  Kilmarnock,  Ayrshire, 
on  the  west  coast  of  Scotland.  The  de- 
scent to  the  American  Boyds  during  the 
centuries    has    been    in    many    instances 


through  younger  sons,  of  whom  no  rec- 
ord has  been  kept  in  the  register's  office 
of  Scotland. 

They  are  first  on  record  in  America  at 
Londonderry,  New  Hampshire,  where 
Boyds  settled  in  1718.  They  were  Scotch- 
Irish  who  had  gone  into  Northern  Ire- 
land from  Scotland  about  1688,  there 
married,  and  bred  the  hardy  pioneer 
Scotch-Irish,  who  perpetuated  their  home 
names  in  the  towns  they  founded.  The 
name  is  next  found  in  New  York  City  and 
Pennsylvania,  where  they  settled  prior  to 
the  Revolution,  and  there  was  also  an 
early  Boyd  settlement  in  Virginia.  The 
Boyds,  like  all  the  Scotch-Irish,  were 
hardy,  energetic,  desirable  citizens,  and 
in  settling  in  a  new  country  usually  chose 
the  rugged  region,  instead  of  the  more 
fertile  river  bottoms,  as  did  the  Dutch. 
This  was  due  to  their  previous  environ- 
ment, each  choosing  locations  similar  to 
his  early  surroundings. 

The  first  settlement  was  made  in  West 
Hempfield  township,  Lancaster  county, 
Pennsylvania,  by  Scotch-Irish  from  Don- 
egal, who  continued  their  advance  up  the 
Little  Conestoga  until  they  met  the  Men- 
nonites  a  few  miles  east  of  Chickies 
Creek.  With  these  settlers  came  the 
Boyds  of  Chickies,  the  first  record  being 
of  James  Boyd,  a  farmer.  James  Boyd  in 
middle  life  left  his  farming  operations  in 
West  Hempfield  township,  Lancaster 
county,  and  moved  to  Columbia,  where 
he  became  proprietor  of  a  grocery  store, 
there  making  his  home  until  his  death. 
He  married  Mary  Fisher  and  was  the 
father  of  a  large  family :  John,  of  whom 
further;  William  ;  George,  married  a  Miss 
Tyler  and  had  four  children ;  Hugh,  mar- 
ried Amanda  Ohmit  and  had  sons,  Elmer 
and  John  D. ;  Christian,  married  Sarah 
Decker  and  had  one  son,  James ;  Mary, 
married  William  Baltzer  and  had  one 
son,  William ;  Margaret,  married  Samuel 
Lockard  and  had  James,  John  and  Harry ; 


2054 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Susan,  married  Jacob  Grube  and  had 
George,  Samuel,  Mary,  Matilda,  Sally, 
Emma;  Ann,  married  John  Wheeler  and 
had  two  sons  and  two  daughters ;  James, 
twin  of  Ann,  died  in  infancy ;  Louise, 
married  Daniel  Campbell  and  had  two 
sons  and  two  daughters. 

John  Boyd,  son  of  James  and  Mary 
(Fisher)  Boyd,  father  of  Samuel  H.  Boyd, 
of  Columbia,  was  born  at  Chickies,  West 
Hempfield  township,  Lancaster  county, 
Pennsylvania,  December  6,  1815,  and  died 
at  Columbia,  Pennsylvania,  July  22,  1871. 
His  education  was  obtained  in  the  district 
schools  near  his  birthplace,  and  his  active 
career  began  with  Leach  &  Company,  a 
commission  house  of  Columbia,  Pennsyl- 
vania. Mr.  Boyd  was  subsequently  in 
the  service  of  the  Pennsylvania  railroad, 
occupying  various  positions  with  this 
road  until  his  death.  He  was  a  gentle- 
man universally  esteemed  and  liked,  and 
during  his  entire  life  possessed  the  sin- 
cere respect  of  his  associates  in  business 
and  private  life.  Politically  an  ardent 
Republican  and  always  identified  with 
that  party.  John  Boyd  married,  in  1839, 
Elizabeth  Stanley,  born  in  1820,  died  Oc- 
tober 28,  1865.  Children  :  Mary  A.,  born 
January  5,  1840,  died  December  29,  1902, 
married  David  Welsh ;  James,  born  Oc- 
tober 14,  1843,  died  in  infancy;  Ellen  L., 
born  December  14,  1845,  married  Dr.  H. 
V.  Gress,  of  York  county,  Pennsylvania; 
Catherine,  born  February  4,  1848,  mar- 
ried J.  T.  Hughes,  of  Columbia,  Pennsyl- 
vania ;  Samuel  H.,  of  whom  further. 

Samuel  H.  Boyd,  son  of  John  and  Eliz- 
abeth (Stanley)  Boyd,  was  born  in  Co- 
lumbia, Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania, 
August  20,  1850,  and  at  this  time  is  a  resi- 
dent of  his  birthplace.  As  a  youth  he 
attended  the  public  schools  of  Columbia 
and  was  afterward  a  student  in  Annville 
College,  at  Annville,  Pennsylvania,  at  the 
completion  of  his  course  in  the  latter  in- 
stitution entering  the  employ  of  the  Penn- 


sylvania railroad,  remaining  with  this 
company  until  his  election  as  tax  col- 
lector of  Columbia.  His  first  election  was 
as  the  candidate  of  the  Republican  party, 
and  he  was  the  successful  nominee  of 
this  party  at  each  election  for  the  follow- 
ing twenty  years.  In  1906  he  was  elected 
to  a  three-year  term  as  Register  of  Wills 
of  Lancaster  county,  at  the  expiration  of 
this  period  being  appointed  to  fill  out  an 
unexpired  term  as  Director  of  the  Poor 
of  Lancaster  county.  This  service  came 
to  an  end  in  a  year,  and  at  the  elections 
of  1910  he  was  chosen  for  a  three-year 
term  in  the  same  office,  being  again  elect- 
ed in  1913  for  a  four-year  term.  This 
directorship  he  holds  at  this  time,  and  so 
he  will  continue  until  1917.  His  com- 
petency and  fidelity  in  service  are  the 
qualities  that  have  gained  him  his  re- 
peated reelection  to  positions  of  trust  and 
responsibility,  and  it  is  characteristic  of 
the  man  that  duties  of  small  importance 
receive  the  same  careful  attention  be- 
stowed upon  those  of  greater  weight. 

Mr.  Boyd  is  financially  interested  in 
several  of  Columbia's  manufacturing  es- 
tablishments, and  is  a  member  of  the 
board  of  directors  of  the  Columbia  Trust 
Company.  A  Republican  in  politics,  he 
has  represented  his  district  at  many 
county  and  State  conventions,  and  has 
ably  and  zealously  worked  for  the  pros- 
perity of  his  party  in  that  locality.  In 
party  councils  he  plays  an  important 
part,  and  his  devotion  to  the  Republican 
cause  has  been  productive  of  excellent 
and  tangible  results.  He  is  fraternally 
connected  with  Susquehanna  Lodge,  No. 
80,  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
and  the  Artisans'  Order  of  Mutual  Pro- 
tection, both  of  Columbia.  His  church  is 
the  First  Methodist  Episcopal  of  Colum- 
bia, which  he  serves  as  trustee,  and  he  is 
president  of  the  Landisville  Camp  Meet- 
ing Association  of  Landisville,  Pennsyl- 
vania.   In  the  combination  of  church,  fra- 


2055 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ternal,  official  and  business  associations 
with  Columbia  and  the  county  his  alli- 
ance with  the  best  interests  of  both  is 
definite  and  strong,  and  in  all  he  obeys 
the  dictates  of  a  high  order  of  citizenship. 


DODGE,  Byron  Griswold, 

Manafactnrer,  Enterprising   Citizen. 

The  surname  Dodge  has  been  traced  to 
a  remote  period  in  England,  and  has  ex- 
tended to  every  part  of  the  United  States, 
beginning  with  the  earliest  settlement  of 
the  New  England  colonies.  The  name  is 
distinguished  in  law  and  letters,  in  divin- 
ity and  war,  in  politics  and  business, 
every  college  and  university  has  gradu- 
ated sons  of  the  family,  and  in  all  walks 
of  life  the  name  is  an  honored  one.  The 
English  family  bore  arms  as  early  as 
1306,  Peter  Dodge  being  the  grantee. 
The  arrival  of  the  name  in  America  was 
coincident  with  the  arrival,  June  29,  1629, 
of  the  two  vessels,  "Talbot"  and  "Lion's 
Whelp"  from  Yarmouth,  England,  at 
Salem,  Massachusetts.  On  the  latter  ves- 
sel were  planters  from  Dorset  and  Som- 
erset, England,  among  them  William 
Dodge,  founder  of  this  branch  of  the 
Dodge  family  in  America. 

William  Dodge  settled  in  that  part  of 
Salem,  Massachusetts,  known  since  1668 
as  Beverly,  separated  from  Salem  proper 
by  the  bay.  Tradition  says  that  he  was 
tall  with  black  hair  and  dark  complexion. 
He  became  a  freeman,  April  17,  1637,  and 
received  a  grant  of  sixty  acres,  Septem- 
ber 3,  1637.  He  later  bought  two  hun- 
dred acres  and  became  prominent  in  the 
community,  serving  as  grand  juryman, 
"rate"  gatherer,  selectman,  committee- 
man, and  deputy  to  the  general  court.  In 
May,  1685,  he  disposed  of  his  real  estate 
by  deeds  that  are  of  record,  his  homestead 
in  Salem  going  to  his  son,  "Captain"  Wil- 
liam Dodge.  The  name  of  his  wife  is  not 
known.      Richard    Dodge,   a   brother   of 


William  and  son  of  John  Dodge,  of  Som- 
ersetshire, England,  came  to  Salem  nine 
years  after  his  brother,  and  is  the  pro- 
genitor of  an  even  more  numerous  family 
than  William.  Children  of  William 
Dodge:  i.  "Captain"  John,  born  in  1636, 
served  against  the  Narragansetts  in  1675, 
was  deputy  to  the  General  Court,  held 
many  town  and  church  offices.  He  mar- 
ried Mary  Proctor.  2.  "Captain"  William, 
of  whom  further.  3.  Hannah,  married 
Samuel  Porter.  4.  Josiah,  killed  in  the 
Narragansett  War,  1675. 

"Captain"  William  Dodge,  son  of  "farm- 
er" William  Dodge,  was  born  in  1640, 
died  in  1720.  He  inherited  the  family 
homestead  in  Salem,  was  made  freeman 
in  1683,  deputy  in  1689,  representative  in 
1690.  He  served  in  the  Narragansett 
War,  1675,  Hubbard  in  his  "Narrative" 
giving  particular  account  of  his  bravery 
and  success.  He  served  in  many  town 
and  church  offices,  ranking  with  the  lead- 
ing men  of  the  town.  He  married  (first) 
Mary  Conant,  widow  of  John  Balch ; 
(second)  May  26,  1685,  Joanna  Larkin,  a 
widow,  daughter  of  "Deacon"  Robert 
Hale ;  (third)  Mary,  widow  of  Captain 
Andrew  Creatty,  of  Marblehead.  Chil- 
dren, by  first  wife :  Deacon  William, 
born  March  20,  1663,  died  January  17, 
1747 ;  Mary,  born  May  26,  1666,  married 
John  Herrick ;  Joshua,  baptized  August 
20,  1669,  died  April  15,  1694;  Hannah, 
born  July  9,  1671,  married  John  Green; 
Elizabeth,  born  October  26,  1673,  mar- 
ried Jonathan  Herrick ;  Sarah,  born 
March  3,  1677,  died  young.  Children  by 
second  wife :  Robert,  of  further  mention  ; 
Rebecca,  twin  of  Robert,  born  October 
9,  1686;  Josiah  and  Elisha,  twins,  died 
young. 

Robert,  son  of  Captain  William  Dodge 
and  his  second  wife,  Joanna  (Hale)  Lar- 
kin, was  born  in  Salem,  Massachusetts, 
October  9,  1686,  died  January  i,  1764. 
He   was   a   prosperous   farmer   of   North 


2056 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OI'    lUOGRAI'ilY 


Beverly,  held  many  town  offices,  and 
reared  a  large  family.  He  and  his  wife 
are  buried  in  the  churchyard  of  the  Sec- 
ond Church,  their  gravestones  well  pre- 
served. He  married,  in  1709,  Lydia 
Woodbury,  who  died  April  6,  1759,  in  her 
sixty-eighth  year,  daughter  of  Isaac  and 
Elizabeth  (Herrick)  Woodbury,  of  Che- 
bacco  Parish.  Children :  Isaac,  born 
June  12,  1710,  married  Lois  Herrick;  Re- 
becca, married  Jonathan  Thorndike ; 
Caleb,  born  December  11,  1714,  married 
Hannah  Woodbury  ;  Lydia,  married  Jona- 
than Woodbury ;  Joanna,  married  Cap- 
tain Andrew  Woodbury ;  Robert,  born 
February  18,  1723,  married  Mary  Tarbox; 
William,  died  young;  Nicholas,  of  whom 
further;  William,  baptized  January  2, 
1732,  married  Mary  Baker. 

Nicholas,  son  of  Robert  and  Lydia 
(Woodbury)  Dodge,  was  born  in  Bev- 
erly, Massachusetts,  April  16,  1728,  died 
in  Londonderry,  New  Hampshire,  his 
will  made  there  June  10,  1780,  probated 
June  15,  1785.  He  inherited  lands  from 
his  father,  which  he  sold  in  1762,  and  in 
1763  he  bought  land  in  Boxford,  took  his 
letter  from  Beverly  Church,  September  2, 
1764,  and  resided  in  Boxford  until  1775. 
He  then  sold  and  moved  to  New  Hamp- 
shire, made  his  will  as  stated,  and  died. 
He  married,  March  3,  1752,  Experience 
Woodberry,  who  survived  him.  Children  : 
Nicholas,  born  November  19,  1752,  mar- 
ried Hannah  Cole ;  Caleb,  born  March  22, 
1754;  Anna,  born  July  9,  1756;  Mary, 
born  December  9,  1758;  Ebenezer,  of  fur- 
ther mention ;  Lydia,  baptized  July  20, 
1763;  Isaac,  born  August  2,  1767. 

Ebenezer,  of  the  fifth  American  gen- 
eration, son  of  Nicholas  and  Experience 
(Woodberry)  Dodge,  was  born  January 
21,  1761,  and  died  at  Claremont,  New 
Hampshire,  in  1816.  He  became  a  promi- 
nent New  Hampshire  farmer,  residing  at 
Claremont  nearly  all  his  life.  He  mar- 
ried Clarissa  York,  born  in  1722,  died  in 


1862.  Children :  Reuben,  Roxanna,  So- 
phia, David,  Clarissa,  John,  of  further 
mention;  Amos,  George  W.,  and  William. 

John,  son  of  Ebenezer  and  Clarissa 
(York)  Dodge,  was  born  August  29,  1804, 
at  Claremont,  New  Hampshire,  and  there 
died  June  20,  1873.  Pie  learned  the  shoe- 
maker's trade,  but  was  possessed  of  such 
mechanical  ability  that  he  was  adept  at 
many  trades.  He  married  Melinda  Bates, 
born  June  20,  1803,  died  October  9,  1862. 
Children :  George  W.,  of  further  men- 
tion ;  Jeannette,  Edwin.  Mary,  Jane  and 
Inda. 

George  W.,  eldest  son  of  John  and  Me- 
linda (Bates)  Dodge,  was  born  at  Clare- 
mont, New  Hampshire,  February  12, 
1827,  died  in  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,  in 
1890.  The  Claremont  schools  afforded 
him  his  early  education,  and  as  a  young 
man  he  made  his  home  in  Berlin,  New 
York,  where  he  married  and  resided  until 
1876.  In  Berlin  he  was  one  of  the  organ- 
izers of  the  Berlin  Cork  Company,  for 
several  years  filling  the  position  of  man- 
ager of  the  plant  erected  by  this  concern, 
in  1876  locating  in  Lancaster,  Pennsyl- 
vania. From  this  time  until  his  death  he 
was  connected  with  the  industry  of  his 
former  occupation,  associating  with  the 
Lancaster  Cork  Works.  George  W. 
Dodge  bore  a  business  reputation  that 
was  unblemished,  his  correct  and  upright 
life  receiving  the  universal  approbation 
of  his  fellows.  He  was  a  communicant 
of  the  Baptist  church.  He  married  Deb- 
orah E.  Griswold,  of  Berlin,  New  York, 
and  had  issue :  Ella  G.,  married  Rev. 
Henry  G.  Appenzeler,  a  minister  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church,  a  mission- 
ary in  the  Korean  field ;  Byron  Griswold. 
of  whom  further. 

Byron  Griswold  Dodge,  only  son  of 
George  W.  and  Deborah  E.  (Griswold) 
Dodge,  was  born  in  Berlin,  New  York, 
September  16,  1851.  From  the  public 
schools  he  enrolled  in  a  boarding  school 


2057 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


in  Vermont,  an  institution  chiefly  pre- 
paratory for  entrance  at  Williams  Col- 
lege, and  there  continued  his  studies.  His 
youthful  years  were  passed  on  a  farm, 
and  at  the  age  of  twenty-two  years  he 
learned  the  machinist's  trade,  his  train- 
ing received  in  a  printing  press  factory 
at  Westerly,  Rhode  Island.  Subsequently 
he  became  associated  with  his  father  in 
the  cork  business  in  Berlin,  New  York, 
coming  with  the  elder  Dodge  to  Lancas- 
ter and  in  August,  1876,  becoming  identi- 
fied with  the  Lancaster  Cork  Works.  He 
remained  with  this  concern  until  the  in- 
corporation of  the  business  in  1893,  then 
becoming  a  director  of  the  new  corpora- 
tion and  general  manager  of  the  plant. 
From  this  time  until  his  retirement  from 
active  business,  a  period  of  more  than 
twenty  years,  Mr.  Dodge  was  head  of  the 
producing  department  of  the  Lancaster 
Cork  Works,  and  to  him  must  be  attrib- 
uted much  of  the  credit  for  the  prosper- 
ous life  of  the  works.  His  closest  atten- 
tion was  given  all  departments  that  came 
within  his  province  of  control,  and  at  all 
times  he  was  closely  in  touch  with  facts 
and  conditions  regarding  the  plant.  The 
expansion  that  has  come  under  his  direc- 
tion has  been  wisely  planned  and  has 
taken  place  in  full  harmony  with  the  gen- 
eral policy  of  the  concern,  and  upon  the 
sure  and  firm  foundation  he  laid  in  the 
factory  has  been  built  a  large  and  flour- 
ishing business.  When  Mr.  Dodge  re- 
tired from  his  long  connection  with  the 
Lancaster  Cork  Works  in  1914,  it  was 
amid  the  regret  of  associates  of  years, 
who  recognized  the  faithfulness,  com- 
petence, and  value  of  his  service.  Among 
the  numerous  other  business  interests 
that  have  claimed  some  part  of  Mr. 
Dodge's  time  is  the  Lancaster  Linoleum 
Works,  a  plant  that  he  was  largely  in- 
strumental in  establishing  in  the  city. 

Mr.  Dodge's  chief  recreation  has  been 
in  the  raising  and  owning  of  thorough- 


bred horseflesh,  and  his  stable  contains 
some  of  the  best  blooded  stock  of  the 
locality,  in  which  he  takes  the  pride  and 
pleasure  of  the  man  who  knows,  appre- 
ciates, and  loves  good  ho/ses.  Mr.  Dodge 
is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church. 

He  married,  in  Bennington,  Vermont, 
Anna  Smart,  daughter  of  Captain  Elisha 
Smart,  who  gained  his  rank  in  the  Union 
service  during  the  Civil  War  through 
meritorious  service,  and  who  met  his 
death  while  leading  his  company  in  an 
engagement  of  that  war.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Dodge  are  the  parents  of:  Leon  G.,  Anna, 
George,  a  graduate  of  Pennsylvania  State 
College,  class  of  1901,  and  Arthur,  a  grad- 
uate of  Cornell  University,  class  of  1904. 


DEMUTH,  Henry  C, 

Manufacturer,   Enterprising   Citizen. 

Two  of  the  sons  of  Christopher  Demuth, 
born  about  1650,  a  magistrate  (Richter) 
of  Karlsdorf,  Moravia,  came  to  America, 
Johann  Christopher  Demuth  and  Gott- 
hard  Demuth,  the  former  dying  in  Naza- 
reth, Pennsylvania,  the  latter  in  German- 
town,  Pennsylvania. 

Tobias  Demuth,  son  of  the  first  Chris- 
topher Demuth  and  ancestor  of  the  line  to 
which  Henry  C.  Demuth,  of  Lancaster, 
belongs,  did  not  leave  his  European  home. 
He  married  Rosina  Tonn,  born  in  1682, 
died  September  22,  1732,  and  had  five 
children,  three  daughters  and  two  sons, 
the  younger  of  the  two  sons,  Gottlieb,  the 
American  ancestor  of  the  Lancaster  fam- 
ily. 

Gottlieb  Demuth,  son  of  Tobias  and 
Rosina  (Tonn)  Demuth,  was  born  in 
Karlsdorf,  Moravia,  in  1715,  and  when  a 
youth  of  fifteen  years  moved  to  Saxony, 
emigrating  in  the  year  before  he  attained 
his  majority  and  coming  to  the  United 
States,  settling  in  Georgia.  He  subse- 
quently moved  north,  and  at  his  death, 


2058 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


October  6,  1776,  was  a  resident  of  Schoe- 
neck,  Pennsylvania.  He  and  his  wife, 
Eva,  whom  he  married  in  1739,  were  the 
parents  of  seven  children,  five  of  them 
sons.  Gottlieb  Demuth  was,  like  his  fath- 
er, a  believer  in  the  Moravian  faith,  and 
performed  much  missionary  work  in  the 
interests  of  that  church. 

Christopher  Demuth,  son  of  Gottlieb 
and  Eva  Demuth,  was  born  in  German- 
town,  Pennsylvania,  September  19,  1738. 
He  obtained  his  education  in  the  different 
Pennsylvania  towns  to  which  his  father's 
missionary  work  carried  the  family,  and 
after  reaching  his  majority  made  his  home 
in  Lancaster.  Here,  in  1767,  he  married 
Elizabeth  Hartaffel,  born  October  16, 
1746,  her  father  a  tobacco  manufacturer 
of  Lancaster.  In  1770  Christopher  Demuth 
purchased  his  father-in-law's  tobacco  bus- 
iness, and  continued  it  until  his  death, 
which  occurred  subsequent  to  1817,  the 
business  descending  in  the  family  from 
father  to  son,  its  present  owner,  Henry 
C.  Demuth.  Children  of  Christopher  and 
Elizabeth  (Hartafifel)  Demuth:  Anna 
Maria,  born  November  9,  1768,  married 
Johannes  Eberman ;  Johannes,  born  De- 
cember 20,  1771,  a  gunsmith,  married 
Catharine  Trisler ;  Frederick,  born  June 
2,  1773,  died  January  13,  1798;  Sophia, 
born  November  22,  1777,  died  July  19, 
1781 ;  Jacob,  of  whom  further ;  Josef,  born 
October  18,  1781,  a  gunsmith,  married 
Elizabeth  Danner. 

Jacob  Demuth,  son  of  Christopher  and 
Elizabeth  (Hartaflfel)  Demuth,  was  born 
August  9,  1779.  He  attended  the  schools 
of  Lancaster,  and  in  young  manhood  be- 
came connected  with  the  tobacco  business 
owned  by  his  father,  upon  the  latter's 
death  succeeding  to  proprietorship.  In 
addition  to  his  business  activities  in  this 
line,  Jacob  Demuth  owned  and  operated 
a  grist  mill,  and  in  the  course  of  a  busy, 
successful  life  gained  title  to  considerable 
valuable  real  estate  in  the  vicinity  of  Lan- 


caster. Prominent  in  business  affairs  and 
one  of  the  leading  men  of  his  city  in  that 
respect,  his  activity  in  public  life  was 
natural,  and  he  was  ever  conspicuously 
identified  with  progressive  civil  enter- 
prises, among  them  the  building  of  the 
first  municipal  water  works  for  Lancas- 
ter. His  church  was  the  Moravian,  and 
in  political  conviction  he  was  a  Whig. 
Jacob  Demuth  was  thrice  married,  his 
first  wife  Eliza  Eberman,  his  second  Cath- 
arine Mefiford,  his  third  Ann  Hurst.  He 
had  one  son  by  his  first  wife,  Emanuel  E., 
born  December  25,  1804.  Children  of  his 
second  marriage  :  Amelia  R.  L.,  born  Oc- 
tober 2,  1808;  Charles  A.  R.  H.,  January 
6,  1810;  Godfrey  A.  O.  E.,  August  6,  181 1 ; 
Caroline  S.  M.,  September  22,  1812; 
Louisa  E.  L.,  March  5,  1814;  Lawrence  I., 
September  15,  1815;  Samuel  C,  August 
26,  1817;  Henrietta  M.  H.,  January  16, 
1819;  Jacob  G.,  June  i,  1820;  Ann  C, 
January  26,  1822.  Children  of  his  third 
marriage :  Sarah  Lauman,  born  July  8, 
1824;  Elizabeth  Pauline,  February  27, 
1828;  Henry  Cornelius,  of  whom  further; 
Ferdinand  Louis,  April  3,  1832 ;  Fred- 
erick William,  August  26,  1833;  Andrew 
Elias,  December  17,  1835;  Julia  Frances, 
July  9,  1837;  Rachel  Angelica,  January  26, 
1839 ;  Emily  Rosanna,  October  8,  1840. 

Henry  Cornelius  Demuth,  son  of  Jacob 
and  his  third  wife,  Ann  (Hurst)  Demuth, 
was  born  in  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania, 
April  17,  1830,  and  there  died  May  30, 
1906,  his  death  the  close  of  an  eminently 
successful  business  and  public  life.  He 
was  educated  in  the  schools  of  the  locality, 
his  father's  death  occurring  when  he  was 
a  youth  of  twelve  years.  His  business 
experience  began  in  the  employ  of  one  of 
his  half-brothers,  who  had  assumed  the 
management  of  the  family  business,  this 
arrangement  enduring  until  1864.  In  this 
year  Mr.  Demuth  became  its  active  head 
and  continued  in  its  profitable  and  suc- 
cessful    management     until     his     death. 


PEN— Vol  VI— 15 


2059 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Called  into  public  service  by  his  fellows, 
Mr.  Demuth  represented  the  Third  Ward 
of  Lancaster  in  both  Common  and  Select 
Councils,  and  in  1878  he  was  the  suc- 
cessful Republican  candidate  for  the 
State  Legislature,  and  for  two  years  ably 
filled  a  seat  in  the  lower  house  of  that 
body.  The  benefit  and  advancement  of 
the  city  of  his  birth  was  his  highest  aim, 
and  one  of  the  means  that  he  chose  to 
accomplish  this  end  was  in  promoting 
volunteer  fire-fighting  service,  furnishing 
an  excellent  example  by  his  work  in  con- 
nection with  the  American  Fire  Company 
No.  5,  of  which  he  was  at  different  times 
president  and  treasurer.  All  departments 
of  civil  life  held  his  interest  and  knew 
his  support,  and  he  was  a  lifelong  member 
of  the  Moravian  church,  holding  official 
position  therein  as  trustee.  Henry  Cor- 
nelius Demuth  married,  in  1856,  Eliza- 
beth MacDonald,  born  June  15,  1835,  died 
August  18,  igi2,  daughter  of  George  Mac- 
Donald,  of  Lancaster,  and  had  two  sons : 
Ferdinand  A.,  born  in  1857,  died  January 
26,  191 1,  married  Augusta  W.  Buckius, 
and  has  one  son,  Charles  H. ;  Henry  C,  of 
whom  further. 

Henry  C.  Demuth,  younger  of  the  sons 
of  Henry  Cornelius  and  Elizabeth  (Mac- 
Donald)  Demuth,  was  born  in  Lancaster, 
Pennsylvania,  September  25,  1859.  After 
attending  the  public  schools  of  Lancaster 
he  entered  Franklin  and  Marshall  Acad- 
emy, and  upon  the  completion  of  his 
academic  pursuits  became  associated  with 
his  father  at  the  old  location  of  the  busi- 
ness on  East  King  street,  where  since 
1770  Mr.  Demuth's  ancestors  have  been 
engaged  in  tobacco  manufacture.  Upon 
the  death  of  Henry  Cornelius  Demuth, 
Mr.  Demuth  and  his  brother,  Ferdinand 
A.,  succeeded  to  ownership  thereof,  con- 
tinuing operations  from  1906  until  191 1 
under  the  firm  name  H.  C.  Demuth's 
Sons,  the  death  of  the  senior  partner  in 
the  latter  year  making  Mr.  Demuth  sole 


owner.  At  the  location  that  has  for  so 
long  been  the  home  of  the  family  busi- 
ness Mr.  Demuth  is  active  at  this  time, 
nearly  a  century  and  a  half  of  ownership 
under  one  name.  The  product  of  the  fac- 
tory is  Demuth's  snuff,  which  has  long 
had  a  country-wide  reputation  and  sale. 
Mr.  Demuth  remains  in  the  faith  of  his 
fathers,  the  Moravian,  and  politically  is  a 
Republican.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Lan- 
caster Board  of  Trade,  and  also  belongs 
to  the  Hamilton  and  Manufacturers' 
clubs,  of  Lancaster.  Mr.  Demuth  is  a 
widely  known  citizen  of  Lancaster,  and 
stands  for  the  principles  so  stoutly  cham- 
pioned in  this  city  by  his  father  and 
grandfather.  He  is  universally  popular, 
concerning  himself  with  public  affairs 
only  so  far  as  alert,  conscientious  citizen- 
ship requires. 

Henry    C.    Demuth    married,    April    7, 

1896,  Ida  E.,  daughter  of  Dr.  J.  S.  and 
Martha  (Kreider)  Smith,  of  Strasburg, 
Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  has 
two  sons:     Henry  C.  (3),  born  August  7, 

1897,  formerly  a  student  in  Nazareth  Hall 
Military  Academy,  Nazareth,  Pennsylva- 
nia, now  a  cadet  at  the  United  States 
Military  Academy,  West  Point,  New 
York,  class  of  1918;  Christopher,  born 
September  12,  1899,  a  student  at  Naza- 
reth Hall  Military  Academy. 


SCHROYER,  Henry  Albert, 

Enterprising  Business  Man,  Public  Official. 

Dating  from  early  seventeenth  century 
days  of  the  Pennsylvania  colony,  this  line 
of  Schroyer  possesses  a  record  that  tells 
of  an  American  life  of  usefulness,  activity 
and  achievement  among  its  members.  In 
no  period  of  the  family's  life  in  this  coun- 
try have  the  results  of  the  labors  inspired 
by  these  attributes  been  more  creditably 
noticeable  than  in  the  past  three-quarters 
of  a  century,  within  which  limits  are  in- 
cluded the  active  lives  of  Henry  Albert 


2060 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Schroyer  and  his  father,  George  W. 
Schroyer.  The  former,  his  business,  fra- 
ternal, social  and  public  connections  are 
well-known  to  the  citizens  of  Lancaster, 
his  lifelong  home,  and  the  memory  of  the 
latter,  who  was  a  resident  and  business 
man  of  Lancaster  from  1854  until  his 
death,  an  early  day  journalist  and  a  pio- 
neer florist,  lives  in  the  memory  of  his 
many  friends  and  associates.  George  W. 
Schroyer  lived  to  the  great  age  of  ninety- 
one  years,  in  journalism  and  floriculture 
achieving  success  and  prominence,  and 
although  his  business  cares  and  duties 
made  his  life  an  exceptionally  active  one, 
even  as  a  nonagenarian  he  was  spared 
the  infirmities  and  weaknesses  so  closely 
attendant  upon  old  age.  Relinquishing  the 
management  of  his  interests  to  his  son  in 
his  latter  years,  George  W.  Schroyer  yet 
retained  a  vigorous  and  comprehensive 
grasp  upon  matters  of  public  interest  and 
general  concern,  suffering  none  of  his  old 
friendships  to  flag,  and  when  death  re- 
moved those  whom  he  had  known  in 
youthful  days,  forming  new  friends  in  the 
younger  generation,  with  whom  he  was  a 
universal  favorite.  Strong  in  step  and 
carriage,  it  was  hard  to  reconcile  his  ex- 
cellent bearing  with  a  birth  date  nine 
decades  removed,  and  his  was  a  familiar 
and  well-loved  figure  in  Lancaster  until 
his  death. 

The  father  of  George  W.  Schroyer  was 
Colonel  Christian  Schroyer,  born  in  Corn- 
wall, Lancaster  (now  Lebanon)  county, 
August  5,  1793,  and  died  in  1855.  The 
hotel  maintained  by  him  near  Lewisburg, 
Pennsylvania,  was  famous  for  the  cordial 
hospitality  of  its  host,  and  in  addition  to 
this  business  he  cultivated  a  farm  of  gen- 
erous dimensions.  Under  the  administra- 
tion of  President  Andrew  Jackson  he  was 
appointed  to  the  postmastership  at  Chillis- 
quaque,  Pennsylvania,  serving  one  term 
in  this  position,  and  gained  his  military 
title  through  service  in  the  State  militia. 


having  commanded  the  Eighth  Regiment. 
He  was  twice  married,  his  first  wife  Susan 
Spangler,  his  second  Mrs.  Myer,  a  widow, 
and  by  his  first  marriage  had:  Elizabeth, 
Rachel,  Sarah,  Susan,  William,  George 
W.,  of  whom  further,  and  a  child  who 
died  in  infancy.  Michael  and  Lewis  were 
the  children  of  his  second  marriage. 

George  W.  Schroyer,  son  of  Colonel 
Christian  and  Susan  (Spangler)  Schroyer, 
was  born  in  Lewisburg,  Pennsylvania, 
September  9,  1818,  and  died  in  Lancaster, 
February  22,  1910.  His  early  education 
was  obtained  in  the  district  school,  and 
he  supplemented  the  knowledge  he  there 
obtained  with  a  course  in  a  grammar 
school  and  an  evening  writing  school, 
his  later  schooling  being  under  that  all- 
wise  teacher,  experience.  As  a  youth  of 
eighteen  years,  with  a  fine  courage  and 
determination,  he  started  upon  the  work 
of  life  independently,  walking  to  Harris- 
burg  and  in  that  city  accepting  a  position 
in  which  he  could  learn  the  trade  of 
printer.  His  first  employment  was  with 
"The  Keystone,"  and  he  remained  in  con- 
nection with  this  journal  until  he  was 
raised  to  the  rank  of  foreman,  which  posi- 
tion he  resigned  to  purchase,  in  the  fall 
of  1845,  "The  Spy,"  a  paper  of  Columbia, 
Pennsylvania.  Two  years  after  becoming 
owner  of  this  periodical  he  disposed  of  his 
interest  therein  and  returned  to  Harris- 
burg,  where  he  resided  until  1854,  then 
moved  to  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania.  In 
this  city  he  accepted  the  position  of  fore- 
man in  the  office  of  the  "Independent 
Whig,"  subsequently,  under  the  owner- 
ship of  Theodore  Fenn,  serving  "The  In- 
land Daily"  in  the  same  capacity.  Upon 
the  establishment  of  "The  Daily  Evening 
Express"  in  Lancaster  in  November,  1856, 
Mr.  Schroyer  became  a  member  of  its 
original  staff  as  foreman,  and  efficiently 
occupied  that  office  for  six  years,  in  1862 
resigning  in  order  to  pursue  out-of-door 
work  of  a  more  healthful  nature. 


2061 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


It  was  at  this  time  that  he  beg-an  the 
operations  that  led  to  the  establishment 
of  the  business  now  conducted  by  his 
son,  Henry  Albert  Schroyer.  Purchasing 
from  Dr.  Muhlenberg  a  fruit  farm  of 
seven  acres,  he  for  a  time  devoted  his 
attention  to  fruit  raising  and  gardening, 
soon  afterward  transforming  the  farm 
into  a  nursery  and  beginning  floriculture 
upon  a  small  scale.  Diligent  botanical 
study  and  no  less  careful  work  in  famil- 
iarizing himself  with  the  best  and  most 
modern  methods  used  in  the  calling  he 
had  entered  as  a  tyro  inspired  greater 
confidence  in  his  ability  to  successfully 
manage  such  a  business  as  he  had  plan- 
ned, and  he  made  more  elaborate  prepara- 
tions for  securing  the  trade  of  the  region. 
This  was  readily  attracted,  and  hot-houses 
covered  the  ground  that  he  had  formerly 
tilled,  while  sturdier  plants  stood  in 
orderly  rows,  exposed  to  the  elements,  or 
sought  the  protection  of  glass-covered 
frames.  A  pioneer  in  a  new  business,  his 
success  was  assured  from  the  first,  the 
patronage  of  his  nursery  a  steadily  in- 
creasing one  until  his  death,  his  son  in 
the  meantime  having  assumed  the  man- 
agement of  the  business.  He  was  orig- 
inally a  Democratic  supporter,  casting  his 
first  presidential  vote  for  Martin  Van 
Buren,  but  in  1856  changed  his  allegiance 
and  from  that  time  until  his  death  faith- 
fully and  enthusiastically  worked  for  the 
welfare  of  the  Republican  party.  He  was 
a  member  of  St.  John's  Lutheran  Church, 
long  a  member  of  the  vestry  of  that  or- 
ganization, and  in  daily  life  lived  the  prin- 
ciples that  he  thus  championed. 

His  true  worth  was  appreciated  by  all, 
and  there  were  none  who  withheld  from 
him  the  respect  and  honor  that  his  up- 
right, manly  career  demanded.  He  met 
the  issues  of  life  courageously  and  openly, 
with  unswerving  faith  in  himself  and  the 
Power  that  gave  him  strength.  When 
bodily  frailty  caused  the  abandonment  of 


the  only  occupation  he  had  known,  with 
resourcefulness  and  unconquerable  zeal 
he  turned  himself  to  one  of  which  he 
knew  nothing,  mastered  it,  and  in  it  rose 
to  prominence  and  prosperity,  founding 
his  new  business  so  firmly  and  well  that 
it  has  endured  for  half  a  century,  increas- 
ing in  size  and  scope  through  the  passing 
years.  Of  his  personal  attributes  of  a 
more  apparent  nature,  his  genial  courtesy 
and  cheerful  manner  were  remarked  by 
all  meeting  him  for  the  first  time,  and 
those  who  were  his  friends  knew  the  gen- 
erosity of  spirit,  the  fidelity  and  sympathy 
that  lay  deeper  than  the  cordial  greeting 
or  the  pleasant  smile.  He  was  an  inter- 
esting and  lively  conversationalist,  and  so 
wide  was  his  experience,  so  many  inter- 
esting incidents  and  personalities  did  it 
include,  that  it  was  a  pleasure  and  a  de- 
light to  hear  him.  Nor  did  he  dwell  en- 
tirely in  the  past,  for,  with  mind  active 
and  acute  reasoning  powers,  he  liked  dis- 
cussion of  present  day  matters,  whether 
it  were  a  municipal  problem  or  a  ques- 
tion of  national  import,  and  his  views 
showed  a  deep  understanding  and  knowl- 
edge. 

George  W.  Schroyer  married,  in  Har- 
risburg,  Pennsylvania,  in  1845,  Annie  E., 
daughter  of  J.  B.  Thompson,  of  Harris- 
burg,  Pennsylvania,  whose  death  pre- 
ceded his  own  by  nearly  twenty  years. 

Henry  Albert  Schroyer,  son  of  George 
W.  and  Annie  E.  (Thompson)  Schroyer, 
was  born  in  Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania, 
January  29,  1850,  passing  his  youthful 
years  in  Lancaster,  his  present  home.  He 
was  educated  in  the  school  of  St.  James' 
parish,  afterward  attending  the  high 
school,  and  when  seventeen  years  of  age 
became  associated  with  his  father  in  the 
florist's  business,  having  since  continued 
therein.  Mr.  Schroyer  in  1888  opened  a 
store  on  North  Queen  street,  Lancaster, 
where  he  remained  until  1913  when  he 
removed  to  No.   146  North  Duke  street. 


2062 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BJOGRAJ'HY 


and  is  there  still  located,  the  head  of  a 
business  large  in  proportion  and  profit- 
able. He  holds  an  assured  position 
among  the  business  men  of  the  city,  and 
in  numerous  other  lines  has  become  well 
known  and  popular. 

Like  his  father,  he  is  a  loyal  Republi- 
can, and  in  1878  made  his  entrance  into 
the  public  life  of  Lancaster  when  he  was 
elected  to  the  Common  Council  from  the 
Ninth  Ward  in  the  face  of  a  strong  Dem- 
ocratic organization,  placed  in  office  by 
the  narrow  margin  of  three  votes,  and  has 
on  two  occasions  been  a  delegate  to  the 
Republican  State  Convention.  From  1888 
until  1903  he  was  a  member  of  the  Lan- 
caster Board  of  Education,  in  1900-01-02 
serving  the  city  as  treasurer  of  the  board, 
a  responsible  position,  the  importance  of 
which  can  only  be  realized  by  those  of 
experience  in  matters  of  municipal  edu- 
cational systems.  While  a  member  and 
officer  of  the  board  he  held  the  chairman- 
ship of  the  committee  on  night  schools,  in 
this  capacity  directing  a  work  that  was  of 
inestimable  value  to  the  youth  for  whose 
benefit  evening  instruction  was  instituted, 
those  whom  the  necessity  for  daily  em- 
ployment kept  from  the  regular  sessions 
of  the  city  schools.  The  school  building 
at  North  Mary  street  and  Harrisburg 
avenue,  a  handsome  and  splendidly  equip- 
ped structure,  was  erected  principally  as 
the  result  of  Mr.  Schroyer's  efforts  to 
that  end  and  not  only  is  a  valuable  addi- 
tion to  the  school  property  of  the  city  but 
gives  to  Lancaster  one  of  the  finest  school 
buildings  of  the  State. 

In  1886  Mr.  Schroyer  was  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  West  End  Building  and 
Loan  Association,  and  is  the  only  surviv- 
ing member  of  the  original  board  of  direc- 
tors of  that  institution.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Lancaster  Liederkranz,  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  the  Be- 
nevolent and  Protective  Order  of  Elks, 
and  is  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason,  Har- 


risburg Consistory,  Ancient  Accepted 
Scottish  Rite,  belonging  to  Lamberton 
Lodge,  No.  476,  Free  and  Accepted  Ma- 
sons, of  which  he  is  past  master.  Chapter 
No.  43,  Royal  Arch  Masons,  Goodwin 
Council,  No.  19,  Royal  and  Select  Mas- 
ters, Lancaster  Commandery,  No.  13, 
Knights  Templar,  affiliates  with  Zembo 
Temple,  of  Harrisburg,  Ancient  Arabic 
Order  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  Mr. 
Schroyer  is  a  communicant  of  St.  John's 
Lutheran  Church,  in  matters  of  religion 
also  following  the  lead  of  his  father.  He 
married,  October  27,  1875,  Anna  V., 
daughter  of  the  late  Samuel  M.  Myers, 
of  Chambersburg,  Pennsylvania. 


TROUT,  Frank  Burrows, 

Business  Man,  Pnblic  OfficiaL 

The  passage  of  time  and  close  associa- 
tion rarely  fail  to  reveal  a  man  to  his  fel- 
lows in  his  true  light  as  a  man  and  a 
citizen.  Thirty-four  years  of  continuous 
business  and  public  activity  in  Lancaster, 
the  city  of  his  birth,  have  served  only  to 
raise  Frank  B.  Trout  to  a  position  of 
higher  regard  in  the  minds  of  his  fellow 
citizens,  and  to  ever  increasing  popular- 
ity among  the  people  with  whom  he  has 
passed  his  life.  The  vast  number  of  his 
friends  and  a  reputation  for  uprightness 
and  honor  unassailable  are  the  founda- 
tions upon  which  he  has  built  a  complete 
business  success.  Mr.  Trout  has  numer- 
ous business  interests  in  Lancaster,  fra- 
ternally and  socially  is  well  connected, 
and  is  representative  of  the  element  that 
stands  for  the  best  in  city  life. 

Frank  B.  Trout  is  a  son  of  Adam  Rut- 
ter  and  Salome  (Lefevre)  Trout  (q.  v.), 
and  was  born  in  Lancaster,  Pennsyl- 
vania. November  24,  1851.  The  public 
schools  furnished  him  with  his  early  edu- 
cation, and  his  first  employment  was  in  a 
grocer's  establishment,  after  which  he  be- 
came   identified    with    the    calling    that 


2063 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


claimed  his  early  manhood,  bookbinding. 
He  served  an  apprenticeship  with  George 
Wiatt,  under  his  instruction  developing 
especial  ability  in  artistic  gilt  work,  and 
when  a  journeyman  in  his  trade  was  for 
six  months  in  charge  of  the  State  Bindery 
at  Harrisburg,  and  then  accepted  a  posi- 
tion in  the  employ  of  the  United  States 
Government  at  Washington.  For  nine 
years  Mr.  Trout  remained  in  this  place 
as  a  department  head,  then  went  to  Phil- 
adelphia, where  he  was  connected  with 
the  Holden  Bible  Publishing  Company 
and  the  well-known  house  of  J.  B.  Lippin- 
cott,  his  service  with  both  concerns  in 
the  capacity  of  foreman. 

In  1881  Mr.  Trout  returned  to  his  home 
city  of  Lancaster,  and  has  here  since  been 
in  active  business  in  several  lines,  pros- 
perity attending  his  efforts  in  each.  As 
a  member  of  the  firm  of  Trout  &  Shank 
he  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  shirts, 
operated  a  laundry,  and  conducted  a 
gentlemen's  furnishing  store,  subsequent- 
ly forming  an  alliance  with  the  brokerage 
firm,  Bachman  &  Company.  In  1905  he 
embarked  in  cigar  manufacturing,  at  the 
same  time  entering  the  retail  trade,  at- 
tracting a  generous  patronage  to  the  es- 
tablishment he  now  owns,  "The  Every- 
body Cigar  Store."  In  addition  to  his 
private  enterprises  Mr.  Trout  has  had 
financial  interest  in  several  Lancaster  and 
Lancaster  county  business  and  industrial 
projects  that  have  been  of  sufficient  sta- 
bility and  promise  to  warrant  such  sup- 
port, and  entertains  a  live  and  cordial  in- 
terest in  the  welfare  of  all  of  the  business 
institutions  of  the  locality.  He  is  owner 
of  the  Trout  Building  and  the  Colonial 
Theatre,  of  Lancaster,  and  is  likewise  a 
candy  manufacturer  and  retailer  of  the 
city.  His  business  record  is  an  open  book, 
every  transaction  marked  by  fairness  and 
strict  accord  with  probity  and  honor. 
Popular  good  will  is  the  result  of  a  career 
unmarred    by    business    irregularity    of 


any  kind,  and  since  in  several  instances 
his  business  has  been  solely  dependent 
upon  universal  favor,  this  has  been  one 
of  his  greatest  assets. 

Mr.  Trout  has  found  opportunity  to 
indulge  a  deep  seated  love  for  travel,  and 
in  out-of-door  exercise  and  sport  finds  the 
most  pleasurable  relaxation.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Lancaster  Road  Drivers' 
Association,  the  Lancaster  Country  Club, 
the  County  Golf  Club,  and  the  Hamilton 
Club,  while  his  fraternal  affiliations  are 
with  the  Masonic  order  and  the  Benevo- 
lent and  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  In 
religious  belief  he  is  a  Presbyterian.  A 
lifelong  supporter  of  the  Republican 
party  and  prominent  in  its  councils,  Mr. 
Trout  has  found  little  time  from  business 
pursuits  for  political  activity  or  public 
service,  but  for  sixteen  years  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Lancaster  School  Board.  In 
every  relation  of  business  and  civil  life 
he  has,  in  brief,  faithfully  performed 
every  duty,  and  has  held  to  a  high  stand- 
ard of  citizenship. 


KEHLER,  Henry  Neff, 

Enterprising  Citizen. 

Bearing  the  name  of  his  honored  father, 
Henry  Neff  Kehler,  of  Columbia,  is  de- 
scended in  the  third  generation  from 
Joshua  Kehler,  of  Strasburg,  Pennsyl- 
vania, through  his  son,  Joshua  (2)  and  his 
wife,  Anna  Neff,  and  their  son,  Henry 
Neff  Kehler  (i).  Mr.  Kehler's  active  life 
began  as  his  father's  assistant  in  agri- 
cultural operations,  and  from  1890  un- 
til 1907  he  was  connected  successively 
with  three  of  the  leading  financial  insti- 
tutions of  the  locality,  the  Columbia 
Trust  Company,  the  People's  Trust  Com- 
pany, and  the  Lancaster  Trust  Company, 
the  first  of  Columbia,  the  last  two  of  Lan- 
caster. Upon  the  death  of  the  elder  Keh- 
ler, Henry  Neff  Kehler  Jr.  assumed  the 
management   of  the   homestead   farm   in 


2064 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


West  Hempfield  township,  Lancaster 
county,  and  has  since  conducted  general 
farming  operations  thereon,  including 
dairying,  grain  raising,  and  tobacco  cul- 
ture. Mr.  Kehler,  although  he  has  made 
agricultural  pursuits  his  chief  interest  for 
the  past  eight  years,  retains  several  busi- 
ness and  financial  connections  in  Colum- 
bia, and  is  closely  identified  with  the  so- 
cial, educational,  and  religious  activity 
of  the  town. 

Henry  Nef¥  Kehler  Jr.  is  a  son  of 
Henry  Nefif  Kehler,  grandson  of  Joshua 
(2)  Kehler,  and  great-grandson  of  Joshua 
Kehler.  Maternally  he  is  descended  from 
Francis  Neff,  who  in  1717  came  from  his 
Switzerland  home  to  Manor  township, 
Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  where 
he  founded  a  family.  Joshua  (2)  Kehler 
was  born  in  Strasburg,  Lancaster  county, 
Pennsylvania,  October  15,  1782,  and  died 
on  the  homestead  on  the  Lancaster  and 
Columbia  Turnpike,  November  22,  1850. 
In  his  earlier  years  he  followed  the  call- 
ing of  miller,  later  becoming  a  hotel  pro- 
prietor, and  in  1810  he  purchased  a  tract 
of  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  acres  on 
the  Lancaster  and  Columbia  Turnpike, 
where  he  resided  until  his  death.  His 
religious  faith  was  the  Mennonite,  in  polit- 
ical belief  he  was  a  Democrat,  and  until 
his  death,  at  the  age  of  sixty-eight  years, 
he  occupied  a  position  of  prominence 
among  the  prosperous  farmers  of  the 
township.  Joshua  (2)  Kehler  married 
Anna  Nefif,  daughter  of  Henry  and  Anna 
(Oberholtzer)  Nefif,  of  the  family  found- 
ed by  the  Swiss  immigrant,  Francis  Nefif. 

Henry  Nefif  Kehler,  only  son  of  Joshua 
(2)  and  Anna  (Nefif)  Kehler,  was  born  on 
the  homestead  in  West  Hempfield  town- 
ship, Lancaster  county,  April  17,  1821, 
and  there  died  May  14,  1907.  He  was 
educated  in  the  schools  in  the  vicinity  of 
his  birthplace,  and  as  a  young  man  be- 
gan farming  with  his  father,  continuing 


the  cultivation  of  the  home  estate  from 
the  time  of  his  father's  death  until  the 
close  of  his  own  active  lite.  Mr.  Kehler 
was  for  more  than  forty  years  a  director 
of  the  First  National  Rank  of  Columbia, 
and  was  long  interested  in  private  bank- 
ing. He  was  a  man  of  progressive  mind 
and  ideas,  always  striving  for  the  ad- 
vancement of  his  community,  and  was 
highly  esteemed  by  his  fellows.  His 
years,  eighty-six,  were  years  of  well  re- 
warded labor,  of  resultful  endeavor,  and 
during  his  long  life  his  ways  were  di- 
rected so  uprightly  that  he  feared  neither 
the  criticism  nor  the  judgment  of  those 
about  him.  He  served  on  the  ofificial 
board  of  the  Presbyterian  church  of  Co- 
lumbia, generously  supporting  all  of  its 
activities,  and  in  politics  affiliated  with 
the  Republican  party.  Henry  Nefif  Keh- 
ler married,  February  23,  1871,  Cather- 
ine Stewart  Knox,  born  in  September, 
1842,  died  October  22,  1905,  daughter  of 
John  Hunter  Knox,  the  family  founded 
in  the  United  States  by  John  Knox,  who 
came  from  Ballymoney,  County  Antrim, 
Ireland,  in  1785.  John  Hunter  Knox  was 
a  graduate  of  Milton  Academy  and  Dick- 
inson College,  was  by  profession  a  civil 
engineer,  and  served  with  distinction  in 
the  Union  army  in  the  Civil  War,  hold- 
ing the  rank  of  captain  of  Company  D, 
Eleventh  Regiment  Pennsylvania  Volun- 
teers. 

Henry  Nefif  (2)  Kehler,  only  son  of 
Henry  Neff  (i)  and  Catherine  Stewart 
(Knox)  Kehler,  was  born  on  the  West 
Hempfield  township  homestead,  Lancas- 
ter county,  Pennsylvania,  May  3,  1874. 
After  a  course  in  the  local  public  schools 
he  prepared  at  Lawrenceville  for  Prince- 
ton University,  and  was  graduated  from 
this  institution  C.  E.  in  the  class  of  1897. 
Mr.  Kehler  was  never  active  in  his  pro- 
fession, civil  engineering,  a  calling  that 
had    claimed    his    maternal    grandfather. 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


John  Hunter  Knox,  but  became  asso- 
ciated with  his  father  in  agriculture,  in 
1890  accepting  the  position  of  teller  in 
the  Columbia  Trust  Company.  In  1893 
he  resigned  from  this  office  to  become  a 
general  clerk  in  the  People's  Trust  Com- 
pany, of  Lancaster,  in  1905  forming  an 
association  with  the  Lancaster  Trust 
Company  that  endured  until  1907.  The 
death  of  Henry  Neff  Kehler  Sr.  in  this 
year,  caused  Mr.  Kehler  to  discontinue 
his  relations  with  the  financial  interests 
of  Lancaster,  and  since  that  time  he  has 
devoted  himself  to  the  cultivation  of  the 
homestead  acres.  His  operations  are 
general  in  character,  a  herd  of  cattle  of 
excellent  breed  supporting  a  profitable 
dairy  business,  and  he  also  raises  to- 
bacco. 

Since  January  i,  1905,  Mr.  Kehler  has 
been  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors 
of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Columbia, 
and  he  serves  the  Eureka  Box  Company, 
of  Columbia,  in  the  same  capacity.  He 
was  a  school  director  of  West  Hempfield 
township  from  1907  to  1910,  is  a  Re- 
publican supporter,  and,  like  his  father, 
is  closely  connected  with  the  work  of  the 
Columbia  Presbyterian  Church,  holding 
the  office  of  president  of  the  board  of 
trustees.  His  clubs  are  the  Hamilton  and 
Elks,  of  Lancaster ;  and  one  of  the  many 
ways  in  which  he  evinces  his  ardent  loy- 
alty to  his  alma  niatcr  is  in  his  member- 
ship of  the  Princeton  Club  of  Philadel- 
phia, one  of  the  strongest  of  alumni  or- 
ganizations. Mr.  Kehler's  citizenship  is 
on  the  high  level  of  that  of  his  honored 
father,  and  his  civil  duties  are  faithfully 
discharged. 

Henry  Nefif  Kehler  Jr.  married,  in 
April,  1907,  Lucinda  Hughes  King,  of 
Jersey  Shore,  Pennsylvania,  and  is  the 
father  of  Henry  Neff  (3),  born  January 
2,  1910,  and  Catherine  Elizabeth,  born 
April  12,  1914. 


LOCHER,  Grove, 

Frominent  Manufacturer. 

The  Park  Run  Tanning  Company  is 
the  corporation  that  is  the  modern  out- 
growth of  the  tanning  business  founded 
in  1849  by  David  P.  Locher,  father  of 
Grove  Locher,  of  Lancaster,  the  latter 
the  president  of  the  above  named  con- 
cern. After  the  death  of  the  founder  of 
this  business,  it  was  continued  by  his  two 
sons,  Robert  E.  and  Grove,  the  latter  the 
only  survivor  of  the  former  partners. 
While  Mr.  Locher  is  well  known  in  the 
business  world  of  Lancaster,  and  gives 
to  the  company  of  which  he  is  head  his 
devoted  and  competent  attention,  it  is 
doubtful  whether  the  high  rating  and  firm 
financial  standing  of  the  Park  Run  Tan- 
ning Company  give  him  as  great  cause 
for  satisfaction  and  pride  as  the  owner- 
ship of  two  hundred  and  twenty  acres  of 
land  in  Manheim  township,  Lancaster 
county,  comprising  what  is  generally  con- 
ceded to  be  the  finest  farm  in  all  this 
county  of  rich  agricultural  property. 

Mr.  Locher's  family  was  founded  in 
the  United  States  by  Henry  Locher,  who 
settled  in  Lancaster  county,  his  home  in 
what  is  now  the  east  end  of  the  city  of 
Lancaster,  near  Witmer's  Bridge,  in  the 
building  of  which  he  helped.  He  subse- 
quently purchased  a  farm  of  one  thous- 
and acres  in  Maryland,  but  through  an 
obscure  title  lost  this  desirable  posses- 
sion, afterward  becoming  the  owner  of  a 
large  farm  on  the  Hagerstown  Pike, 
named  "Scheibraken,"  in  honor  of  his 
German  home.  Henry  Locher  was  the 
owner  of  a  tannery  while  a  resident  of 
Lancaster,  and  also  from  his  native  land 
brought  some  clover  seed,  becoming  the 
first  cultivator  of  that  plant  in  the  United 
States.  Henry  Locher  was  the  father  of 
several  children,  and  from  him  descended 
Jacob  Locher,  grandfather  of  Grove 
Locher,  of  this  record. 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Jacob  Locher  inherited  the  property 
on  the  Hagerstown  Pike,  and  followed 
the  calling  of  tanner,  an  occupation  that 
had  claimed  his  father  and  grandfather, 
;ind  was  also  a  currier.  He  was  a  soldier 
in  a  Maryland  regiment  in  the  War  of 
1812,  and  after  his  marriage  moved  to 
Lancaster  county,  the  first  home  of  the 
American  founder  of  his  family,  still  later 
engaging  in  the  leather  trade  in  Harris- 
burg,  Pennsylvania.  Jacob  Locher  mar- 
ried Mary  Grove,  daughter  of  a  Maryland 
landowner,  and  farmer  of  large  property, 
and  died  in  Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania. 
They  w^ere  the  parents  of  George  W.,  Eliz- 
abeth, Katherine,  and  David  P.,  of  whom 
further. 

David  P.,  son  of  Jacob  and  Mary 
(Grove)  Locher,  was  born  in  Shepherds- 
town,  Virginia  (now  West  Virginia),  on 
the  bank  of  the  Potomac  river,  in  July, 
1827.  He  accompanied  his  parents  to 
Lancaster  county,  and  in  early  life  be- 
came a  tanner,  establishing  in  this  line 
on  South  Prince  street  in  1849,  operating 
a  small  tannery  at  this  location  for  two 
years,  at  the  end  of  this  time  replacing 
his  first  building  with  one  of  much  larger 
dimensions,  here  doing  business  until 
1868.  In  1876  David  P.  Locher  purchased 
another  tannery  on  South  Prince  street, 
enlarging  and  altering  the  same,  and  con- 
tinued its  operation  until  his  death,  Feb- 
ruary II,  1884,  at  the  age  of  fifty-seven 
years.  Mr.  Locher  was  the  owner  of  a 
valuable  and  fertile  farm  in  Manheim 
township,  and  here  gratified  his  passion 
for  the  possession  and  breeding  of  blood- 
ed stock,  owning  the  first  herd  in  Lan- 
caster county  of  Alderney  cattle  of  pure 
strain  and  having  an  unusually  fine  stable 
of  Hambletonian  horses,  his  stock  for 
years  the  only  stable  in  the  county.  He 
was  a  gentleman  who  constantly  held  the 
regard  of  his  fellows,  and  delighted  in  the 
unchanging  loyalty  of  a  host  of  friends. 
He  married,  in  November,  1848,  Clemen- 


tine Matilda  Evans,  daughter  of  Robert 
Evans,  a  merchant  of  Lancaster,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  had  four  sons,  Charles  H., 
Robert  E.,  Grove,  of  whom  further,  and 
Clement. 

Grove  Locher,  son  of  David  P.  and 
Clementine  Matilda  (Evansj  Locher, 
was  born  January  12,  1864,  and  after  at- 
tendance at  private  schools  entered  Naza- 
reth Hall  Academy,  at  Nazareth,  Penn- 
sylvania. His  record  at  this  institution 
was  most  brilliant,  for  he  completed  the 
work  of  seven  years  in  four,  was  awarded 
the  Centennial  Medal,  and  was  graduated 
at  the  age  of  fifteen  years.  He  was  after- 
ward a  student  at  Yeates  Institute  and  at 
Franklin  and  Marshall  College,  in  1882 
becoming  associated  in  business  with  his 
father  in  the  tanning  business,  a  line  with 
which  the  family  has  been  identified  since 
the  arrival  of  the  immigrant,  Henry 
Locher.  Upon  the  death  of  David  P. 
Locher  in  1884,  Charles  H.  and  his 
brother,  Robert  E.,  succeeded  to  the  own- 
ership thereof,  and  until  1897  continued 
the  business  as  Locher  Brothers,  incor- 
poration being  made  in  this  year  as  the 
Park  Run  Tanning  Company,  of  which 
Robert  E.  Locher  was  the  head,  and 
Grove  Locher  vice-president  and  general 
manager.  Mr.  Locher  succeeded  to  the 
presidency  of  the  company  upon  the 
death  of  his  brother,  Robert  E.  Locher, 
and  at  this  time  is  its  active  head,  the 
principle  product  of  the  tannery  is  sole 
leather,  which  is  shipped  over  a  wide 
territory. 

Mr.  Locher's  farm  in  Manheim  town- 
ship is  devoted  to  general  agricultural 
operations,  the  rich  soil  producing  to  a 
remarkable  extent.  His  pride  in  its  pos- 
session and  in  the  leading  position  it  oc- 
cupies is  natural  and  needs  no  apology, 
and  its  wealth  and  fertility  has  not  dimin- 
ished since  the  days  when  it  was  owned 
by  his  honored  father.  His  farm  is  a  de- 
sirable one  not  alone  for  the  great  pro- 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ductivity  of  the  soil,  for  its  location  and 
physical  aspects  make  it  a  most  attrac- 
tive estate.  Mr.  Locher  is  a  member  of 
the  Hamilton  Club  and  the  Lancaster 
Country  Club,  of  Lancaster,  the  Manu- 
facturers' and  the  Merion  Cricket,  of 
Philadelphia,  and  the  Pennsylvania  So- 
ciety of  New  York. 

He  married,  in  1890,  Lillie  Elizabeth 
Hershey,  daughter  of  Samuel  L.  and  Ma- 
tilda  (Frantz)   Hershey,  of  Philadelphia. 


BAER,  Reuben  A., 

Journalist,  Enterprising  Citizen. 

It  is  in  the  form  of  a  tribute  more  than 
deserved  that  the  pages  of  history  are 
turned  back  to  a  period  in  the  latter  part 
of  the  past  century,  when  there  was  com- 
pleted the  life  work  of  Reuben  A.  Baer. 
Some  there  will  be  who  peruse  this  brief 
review  of  his  life  and  works  who  will 
read  into  every  word  and  between  every 
line  an  understanding  born  of  past 
friendship  and  love,  and  all  will  find  the 
story  of  a  man  strong  in  temporal  things, 
blessed  in  spiritual  wisdom,  who,  during 
a  long  and  busy  career,  gave  first  place 
to  those  duties  and  obligations  which 
concerned  his  responsibility  for  his  fel- 
lowman. 

Reuben  A.  Baer  belonged  to  a  family 
whose  residence  in  this  country  dates 
from  1730,  Switzerland  the  original  home 
of  the  line.  He  was  a  grandson  of  An- 
drew Baer  and  a  son  of  John  Baer,  the 
early  generations  of  the  family  members 
of  the  Mennonite  church.  John  Baer,  a 
native  of  Lancaster  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, early  in  life  learned  the  printer's 
trade,  and  as  a  young  man  of  twenty-one 
years  of  age  began  the  publication  of  a 
journal  called  the  "Volksfreund,"  in  Lan- 
caster. A  few  years  afterward  he  pur- 
chased the  "Beobachter,"  and  combined 
the  two  papers  under  the  title  "Volks- 
freund and  Beobachter,"  a  periodical  that 


became  well  known  in  Lancaster  county 
and  the  surrounding  region.  John  Baer 
in  1819  published  the  first  German  Bible 
printed  in  this  country,  and  shortly  after- 
ward began  the  publication  of  "Baer's 
Almanac,"  which  gained  widespread 
popularity  and  profitable  circulation  over 
a  wide  extent  of  territory.  The  business 
founded  by  John  Baer,  and  in  which  he 
was  associated  with  William  Greer,  was 
upon  his  death  continued  by  his  sons,  C. 
Rine  and  Reuben  A.  Baer.  Of  the  three 
other  sons  of  John  Baer,  Charles  A.  be- 
came a  minister  of  the  Lutheran  church, 
Captain  Benjamin  F.  gained  eminence  in 
the  law,  and  John  A.  was  a  business  man 
of  New  York. 

Reuben  A.  Baer  was  born  in  Lancaster, 
Pennsylvania,  April  4,  1823,  died  in  that 
city,  December  2,  1897.  In  young  man- 
hood, after  enjoying  excellent  educational 
advantages  through  attendance  at  private 
schools  and  at  Franklin  College,  he  be- 
came apprenticed  to  the  printer's  trade 
in  the  establishment  of  his  father.  The 
elder  Baer  in  1854  admitted  his  two  sons, 
Reuben  A.  and  C.  Rine,  to  partnership 
in  the  printing  business  under  the  firm 
name,  John  Baer  &  Sons.  This  associa- 
tion continued  for  but  four  years  when 
the  death  of  John  Baer  made  the  two 
brothers  sole  owners  of  the  business, 
which  they  continued  as  John  Baer's 
Sons.  In  the  division  of  responsibility  in 
the  new  arrangement,  C.  Rine  Baer  took 
charge  of  the  business  department  and 
the  large  book  store,  which  was  one  of 
the  most  extensive  and  important  in  the 
State,  Reuben  A.  Baer  becoming  head  of 
the  printing  and  editorial  branch,  for 
many  years  continuing  as  editor  of  the 
"Volksfreund  and  Beobachter."  His 
paper  continued  in  popularity  and  in- 
fluence during  the  years  in  which  he  was 
its  moving  spirit,  and  he  carefully  fost- 
ered its  reputation  for  reliability,  accuracy 
and   clean   journalism.      In   the   editorial 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


articles  that  came  from  his  pen  he  was 
forceful  and  decided  in  expression  and 
opinion,  but  always  with  regards  for  the 
rights  of  others  and  the  absolute  facts. 
"Baer's  Almanac"  is  to  this  day  a  regular 
visitor  to  a  large  number  of  homes 
throughout  that  locality,  and  for  the  pub- 
lication of  that  work  Mr.  Baer  was  main- 
ly responsible. 

Mr.  Baer's  interest  in  the  projects 
pointing  toward  the  benefit  and  develop- 
ment of  the  county  was  too  strong  to  per- 
mit him  to  become  solely  absorbed  in  his 
personal  affairs.  He  was  a  director  of 
several  turnpike  companies,  director  of 
the  Farmers'  National  Bank,  and  was 
financially  concerned  in  numerous  other 
enterprises  in  the  vicinity  of  his  home. 

Ranked  according  to  the  place  it  held 
in  his  heart  and  given  its  proper  place  in 
proportion  to  the  share  of  his  time  and 
devotion  it  claimed,  nothing  in  his  en- 
tire life  would  hold  a  place  of  greater 
importance  than  his  religious  experience. 
He  was  active  in  the  organization  of  the 
congregation  of  Grace  Evangelical  Lu- 
theran Church,  of  Lancaster,  long  super- 
intending the  work  of  the  Sunday  school 
of  that  church,  and  was  one  of  the  oldest 
members  of  Holy  Trinity  Lutheran 
Church.  For  many  years  he  was  a  trus- 
tee of  Holy  Trinity,  a  life  member  of  the 
vestry,  vice-president  of  that  body,  and 
chairman  of  one  of  its  most  important 
standing  committees,  remaining  an  officer 
until  declining  health  compelled  him  to 
refuse  reelection. 

The  death  of  Reuben  A.  Baer  came 
after  long  weeks  of  failing  strength.  The 
years  have  given,  in  the  place  of  the  uni- 
versal sorrow  of  friends  and  the  poignant 
grief  of  those  close  to  him,  a  sense  of 
gratitude  for  such  a  life,  a  sincere  joy  in 
the  teaching  and  example  of  a  life  of 
such  rectitude.  It  was  the  privilege  of 
his  pastor  to  come  into  even  closer  touch 
with  him  than  the  intimate  relations  of 


pastor  to  a  loyal  church  officer  and  sup- 
porter, and  the  following  quotation  is 
from  a  memorial  penned  by  him  at  the 
time  of  Mr.  Baer's  death,  expressive  of 
the  esteem  of  the  vestry  : 

We  desire  to  express  our  rejoicing  in  the  tri- 
umphant Christian  faith  which  so  unfalteringly 
sustained  his  soul  amid  the  days  of  the  breaking 
up  of  his  physical  powers,  and  in  the  hour  of  his 
calm  and  willing  departure.  We  would  also 
cordially  bear  our  emphatic  testimony  to  the 
stainless  integrity  of  his  high  moral  character, 
his  sterling  honor  and  exemplary  uprightness  as 
a  business  man,  which  have  been  proverbial  in 
this  community  for  a  half  a  century,  his  purity 
of  heart  and  his  utter  abhorrence  of  the  personal 
vices  so  alarmingly  prevalent  in  our  day.  We 
shall  ever  cherish  his  memory  as  a  man  who  did 
not  divorce  morality  and  religion,  but  with  the 
strictest  probity  of  conduct  as  a  citizen  in  all  his 
eminent  positions  of  trust  and  influence,  he  con- 
joined an  humble  devoutness  of  soul,  a  deep 
and  abiding  hunger  for  the  spiritual  food  of  the 
Divine  Word,  and  a  lifelong  interest  in  the 
progress  of  the  church.  *  *  *  We  shall  miss 
his  genial  presence  and  the  wise  counsel  of  his 
good   judgment.     *     *     * 

Reuben  A.  Baer  married  Mary  L.  Har- 
man,  daughter  of  Daniel  and  Susannah 
(Herbst)  Harman.  She  is  a  devout  mem- 
ber of  the  Holy  Trinity  Lutheran  Church, 
a  trustee  of  that  church,  and  a  liberal 
contributor  to  its  maintenance  and 
works. 


GRADY,  Charles  A., 

Constructing   Bnilder,  Financier. 

At  the  time  of  his  death  chiefly  identi- 
fied in  business  as  the  representative  of 
the  Pennsylvania  Construction  Company 
and  of  the  Art  Metal  Construction  Com- 
pany, his  field  of  authority  covering  three 
states,  Charles  A.  Grady  nevertheless  had 
numerous  interests  that  centered  in  the 
place  of  his  birth,  Lancaster  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  at  Marietta,  in  this 
county,  maintained  his  residence.  Since 
1839,  when  Adam  Grady  came  to  Penn- 


2069 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


sylvania  from  his  home  in  Hesse-Cassel, 
Germany,  the  line  has  been  one  well 
known  in  Lancaster  county,  his  son,  John 
Grady,  father  of  Charles  A.  Grady,  offer- 
ing his  services  to  the  Union  cause  from 
Pennsylvania  and  serving  through  the 
war.  Charles  A.  Grady  was  a  repre- 
sentative of  the  third  American  gener- 
ation, and  spent  an  active  and  useful  life, 
which  terminated  March  12,  1915,  short- 
ly before  the  completion  of  his  forty-sev- 
enth year. 

After  the  settlement  of  Adam  Grady  in 
Marietta,  in  1839,  he  made  that  place  his 
home  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in 
1888.  His  wife,  Catharine  Helwick,  was 
a  native  of  the  locality  in  Germany  that 
was  his  birthplace.  She  bore  him  chil- 
dren :  Catharine  ;  John,  of  whom  further ; 
Harry  C. ;  Anna,  married  Christian 
Troube ;  and  Frederick. 

John  Grady,  son  of  Adam  and  Cathar- 
ine (Helwick)  Grady,  was  born  in  Mari- 
etta, Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania, 
November  7,  1840,  and  died  December  7, 
1913.  From  the  time  of  the  completion 
of  his  education,  which  was  obtained  in 
the  district  schools,  until  the  call  of 
President  Lincoln  for  volunteers,  he  was 
engaged  in  farming,  and  when  war  be- 
came the  sole  solution  of  the  problems 
that  threatened  destruction  to  the  Union 
he  entered  the  army  as  a  wagonmaster. 
From  Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania,  he  was 
sent  to  Hagerstown,  Maryland,  then  be- 
coming attached  to  the  Army  of  the  Po- 
tomac, with  which  division  of  the  Union 
forces  he  remained  in  the  capacity  in 
which  he  had  enlisted  until  1863.  In  this 
year  he  went  to  the  front  as  a  private  in 
Company  K,  199th  Regiment  Pennsyl- 
vania Volunteer  Infantry,  and  so  served 
until  his  honorable  discharge  at  the  close 
of  the  war,  being  mustered  out  at  Rich- 
mond, Virginia.  Upon  his  return  to  his 
Marietta  home  he  undertook  tobacco  cul- 
ture, his  operations  in  this  line  continuing 


with  excellent  success  until  1885,  from 
which  date  for  many  years  he  was  pro- 
prietor of  a  livery,  prospering  in  his  deal- 
ings. John  Grady  was  held  in  favorable 
esteem  by  his  townsmen,  entered  actively 
into  public  life,  and  for  seven  terms  filled 
the  office  of  supervisor  of  East  Donegal 
township,  Lancaster  county,  also  per- 
forming the  duties  of  tax  collector  for  one 
term.  He  held  in  remembrance  the  asso- 
ciations of  war  days  by  membership  in 
the  William  L.  Childs  Post,  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic,  and  held  fraternal  con- 
nections with  the  Junior  Order  of  United 
American  Mechanics  and  the  Improved 
Order  of  Red  Men.  In  religious  faith  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Reformed  church. 
He  married  (first)  in  1866,  Mary  A. 
Hartman;  (second)  in  1892,  Mrs.  Lucinda 
(Sherbahn)  Shafner,  daughter  of  Benja- 
min Sherbahn,  a  brick  manufacturer  of 
Maytown,  Pennsylvania.  Children,  both 
of  his  first  marriage:  Charles  A.,  of 
whom  further;  Tillie  A.,  married  E.  E. 
Paules. 

Charles  A.  Grady,  only  son  of  John  and 
Mary  A.  (Hartman)  Grady,  was  born  in 
Marietta,  Lancaster  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, May  26,  1868.  As  a  youth  he  at- 
tended the  public  schools  of  Marietta, 
and,  his  studies  over,  learned  the  trade  of 
moulder.  He  was  associated  with  the 
Pennsylvania  Construction  Company, 
and  was  the  representative  of  the  Art 
Metal  Construction  Company,  of  James- 
town, New  York.  His  duties  comprised 
the  supervision  of  the  operations  of  these 
companies  in  three  states,  a  responsible 
position  he  most  capably  filled.  The 
large  contracts  of  the  companies  with 
which  he  was  connected  include  all  forms 
of  modern  construction,  and  Mr.  Grady 
was  in  charge  of  the  erection  of  numerous 
public  buildings.  The  family  home  is  a 
handsome  residence  in  Marietta,  and  in 
the  life  of  the  city,  financial,  fraternal, 
and  social,  he  was  as  active  as  his  other 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


interests  would  permit.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  boards  of  directors  of  the  Ex- 
change Bank  of  Marietta  and  of  the  Mari- 
etta and  Mount  Joy  Turnpike  Company, 
and  was  prominent  in  Masonic  circles, 
holding  the  thirty-second  degree.  Ancient 
Accepted  Scottish  Rite,  his  lodge  being 
Marietta,  No.  398,  his  consistory  Harris- 
burg;  he  was  also  a  member  of  Zembo 
Temple,  Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  of 
Harrisburg.  His  other  fraternal  orders 
were  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows, the  Benevolent  and  Protective 
Order  of  Elks,  and  the  Knights  of  Pyth- 
ias, and  he  belonged  to  the  Hamilton 
and  Republican  clubs,  of  Lancaster, 
Pennsylvania.  Though  never  the  in- 
cumbent of  public  office,  Mr.  Grady  was 
long  active  in  the  Republican  organiza- 
tion of  the  county  and  State,  and  ren- 
dered valuable  and  important  service  to  his 
party.  His  counsel  was  sought  and  re- 
garded by  his  political  associates,  and  to 
affairs  of  party  he  devoted  much  of  his 
time.  In  the  varied  fields  in  which  his 
influence  and  personality  made  them- 
selves felt  he  became  the  center  of  a  wide 
circle  of  friends,  and  in  all  ways  was  well 
regarded  by  his  fellows. 

Charles  A.  Grady  married,  July  21, 
1889,  Mary  Conklin  Heidler,  daughter  of 
H.  H.  Heidler,  a  merchant  of  Columbia. 


KLOPP,  Henry  I.,  M.  D., 

Physician,    Hospital    Superintendent. 

Dr.  Henry  I.  Klopp,  superintendent  of 
State  Homoeopathic  Hospital  for  the  In- 
sane at  Allentown,  Pennsylvania,  who 
has  been  serving  in  that  capacity  since 
March  25,  1912,  discharging  his  duties 
with  efificiency  and  thoroughness,  gain- 
ing the  approbation  of  all  interested 
therein,  is  a  worthy  representative  of  a 
family  of  German  origin,  the  ancestors 
being  among  the  early  settlers  of  Berks 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  who  were  ac- 

207 


tive  factors  in  its  development  and  prog- 
ress. 

John  Adam  Klopp,  son  of  the  ancestor 
aforementioned,  was  a  native  of  Berks 
county,  Pennsylvania,  born  1779,  a  farmer 
by  occupation,  and  a  man  of  influence  in 
the  community.  He  married  Sarah  Key- 
ser,  born  1783,  died  1843,  aged  sixty  years, 
two  months,  twenty-five  days.  She  bore 
him  nine  children,  namely  :  Samuel,  Ben- 
neville,  Adam  C,  of  whom  further,  Eli, 
Jonathan,  Benjamin,  John,  Sarah,  mar- 
ried John  Conrad,  Eliza,  married  John 
Sheetz.  He  died  in  1844,  aged  sixty-four 
years,  nine  months,  four  days. 

Adam  C.  Klopp,  son  of  John  Adam 
Klopp,  was  born  in  Berks  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, January  27,  1820,  died  February, 
1901,  aged  eighty-one  years  and  eight 
days.  He  was  a  farmer  in  early  life,  but 
later  became  a  lumber  and  coal  dealer  at 
Stouchsburg,  Berks  county,  and  at  Sheri- 
dan, Lebanon  county,  Pennsylvania.  He 
was  a  man  of  honor  and  integrity,  con- 
ducted his  business  transactions  in  a  cap- 
able manner,  and  achieved  a  large  degree 
of  success.  He  was  an  active  member  of 
the  Reformed  church,  serving  as  elder, 
deacon  and  trustee,  and  a  staunch  Re- 
publican in  politics.  He  married,  in 
1842,  Sarah  Loose,  daughter  of  John  and 
Magdalena  (Fisher)  Loose,  also  of  Leba- 
non county,  Pennsylvania,  who  bore  him 
five  children,  three  of  whom  grew  to 
maturity,  namely :  Jerome,  of  whom  fur- 
ther ;  Adam  C,  who  became  a  member  of 
the  firm  of  A.  C.  Klopp's  Sons ;  Rebecca 
P. 

Jerome  Klopp,  son  of  Adam  C.  Klopp, 
was  born  on  the  farm  in  Marion  town- 
ship, Berks  county,  Pennsylvania,  De- 
cember 20,  1843,  died  July  4,  1909.  He 
was  reared  on  his  father's  farm  in  Jack- 
son township,  and  his  educational  train- 
ing was  obtained  by  attendance  at  the 
public  schools  of  the  neighborhood  and 
at  the  academies  in  Stouchburg  and  My- 
I 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


erstown.  Pie  began  his  business  career 
by  accepting  a  position  as  teacher,  in 
which  capacity  he  served  for  three  years, 
and  then  settled  on  a  farm  where  he  re- 
mained eight  years.  At  the  expiration 
of  this  period  of  time  he  entered  into  part- 
nership with  his  father  and  brother  in 
the  firm  of  A.  C.  Klopp  &  Sons,  conduct- 
ing business  at  Stouchsburg,  and  later 
made  his  home  at  Sheridan,  where  a 
branch  of  the  business  was  established. 
Upon  the  death  of  the  father,  the  style 
was  changed  to  A.  C.  Klopp's  Sons, 
which  was  one  of  the  leading  firms  in 
grain,  coal  and  lumber  in  Lebanon 
county,  their  success  being  the  result  of 
good  business  management,  straightfor- 
ward dealings  and  progressive  ideas.  Mr. 
Klopp  was  a  leading  member  of  the  Re- 
formed church,  in  which  he  served  as 
deacon  and  secretary ;  took  a  leading  part 
in  the  councils  and  affairs  of  the  Re- 
publican party,  and  was  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  of  Myerstown,  and  of 
the  Golden  Rule  Lodge  of  Good  Fellows, 
of  Stouchsburg. 

Mr.  Klopp  married,  December  25,  1866, 
Eliza  Catharine  Groh,  daughter  of  Josiah 
and  Mary  (Loose)  Groh,  prominent  resi- 
dents of  Berks  county,  who  were  the 
parents  of  three  other  children,  name- 
ly: Samuel  H.,  married  Susan  Huyert; 
Amelia,  married  Adam  Huyert;  Alice, 
married  George  Hain.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Klopp  were  the  parents  of  four  children, 
namely:  Henry  I.,  of  whom  further; 
Charles  G.,  married  Mary  A.  Smith ;  Min- 
nie O.,  a  graduate  of  Albright  College, 
class  of  1899;  Anna  M.,  deceased. 

Dr.  Henry  I.  Klopp,  son  of  Jerome 
Klopp,  was  born  on  his  father's  home- 
stead in  Jackson  township,  Lebanon 
county,  Pennsylvania,  January  i,  1870. 
He  attended  the  public  schools  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Stouchsburg,  and  the  knowledge 
thus  obtained  was  supplemented  by  at- 
tendance at  Palatinate  College,  now  Al- 


bright College,  Myerstown,  Pennsyl- 
vania. He  then  turned  his  attention  to 
gaining  a  knowledge  of  telegraphy  and 
when  competent  accepted  a  position  with 
the  Cornwall  railroad.  In  the  spring  of 
1886,  he  accepted  a  position  as  night  oper- 
ator with  the  Philadelphia  &  Reading 
railroad,  at  Sheridan,  Pennsylvania ; 
three  months  later  was  appointed  day 
operator  and  assistant  agent,  which  posi- 
tion he  held  up  to  the  time  of  entering 
medical  college. 

For  a  period  of  two  years  his  evenings 
were  devoted  to  the  study  of  medicine  in 
the  office  of  a  distant  relative.  Dr.  Calvin 
L.  Klopp,  in  his  home  village;  in  1891  he 
matriculated  at  Hahnemann  Medical 
College  and  Hospital  in  Philadelphia, 
from  which  he  was  graduated  in  May, 
1894,  ranking  second  in  his  class  for 
marks.  Immediately  after  he  substituted 
during  the  summer  for  Dr.  Rink,  of  Burl- 
ington, New  Jersey.  The  latter  part  of 
the  same  year  entered  the  Homoeopathic 
Hospital  at  Reading,  Pennsylvania,  as 
resident  physician,  where  he  remained 
until  February,  1895,  when  he  was  oflfered 
a  position  as  junior  assistant  physician  in 
connection  with  the  Westboro  State  Hos- 
pital, Westboro,  Massachusetts;  in  1898 
became  first  assistant  physician  and  in 
1903  received  the  appointment  of  assist- 
ant superintendent.  For  ten  months  pre- 
vious and  on  other  occasions  during  the 
illness  of  the  superintendent.  Dr.  George 
S.  Adams,  he  acted  as  superintendent,  ful- 
filling the  duties  of  that  charge  in  a  way 
that  brought  commendation  from  his  su- 
periors. 

On  February  17,  1912,  he  was  appoint- 
ed superintendent  of  the  Homoeopathic 
State  Hospital  for  the  Insane  at  Allen- 
town,  assuming  charge  March  25,  1912. 
This  institution,  located  about  three  miles 
from  Allentown,  Lehigh  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, was  established  by  Act  No.  737, 
Pennsylvania  Legislature,  July  18,  1901, 


2072 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


for  the  care  and  treatment  under  Homoeo- 
pathic management  of  the  insane  for 
the  counties  of  Bradford,  Bucks,  Carbon, 
Lackawanna,  Lehigh,  Monroe,  North- 
ampton, Pike,  Sullivan,  Susquehanna, 
Wayne  and  Wyoming.  The  real  estate 
consists  of  208.76  acres  of  land,  upon 
which  are  erected  the  administration 
buildings,  ward  buildings,  and  power 
y  plant,  all  completely  equipped  with  steam 

heat,  electric  light,  a  sewerage  disposal 
plant,  reservoir  and  pumping  station.  The 
hospital  was  turned  over  to  the  board  of 
trustees  by  the  building  commission 
July  2,  1912.  The  control  of  the  institu- 
tion is  vested  in  a  board  of  nine  trustees 
appointed  by  the  Governor.  The  hospital 
was  opened  for  the  reception  of  patients, 
October  3,  1912.  It  has  a  capacity  of  one 
thousand  patients,  and  there  are  nine 
hundred  and  fifty  patients  there  at  the 
present  time  (1914).  The  average  cost  of 
maintenance  approximates  a  weekly  per 
capita  allowance  of  $2.50  from  the  State 
and  $1.75  from  counties,  a  total  of  $4.25 
per  week. 

Dr.  Klopp  is  a  member  of  the  Amer- 
ican Institute  of  Homoeopathy ;  Massa- 
chusetts State  Homoeopathic  Medical 
Society ;  Lehigh  Valley  Homoeopathic 
Medical  Society ;  Worcester  County 
(Massachusetts)  Homoeopathic  Medical 
Society;  American  Medico-Psychological 
Association ;  Patriotic  Order  Sons  of 
America ;  Free  and  Accepted  Masons, 
I  affiliating  with  lodge,  chapter,  command- 

K  ery,  all  Scottish  Rite  bodies  with  the  ex- 

ception of  the  consistory ;  Lehigh  Valley 
Country  Club,  and  the  German  Reformed 
Church. 

Dr.  Klopp  married,  December  28,  1898, 
Bessie  L.  Stump,  daughter  of  Henry  W. 
and  Emma  C.  (Groflf)  Stump,  of  Stouchs- 
burg,  Berks  county,  Pennsylvania,  and 
their  children  are:  Russell  I.,  born  April 
30,  1900;  Dorothy  E.,  born  February  27, 
1903. 


PEACOCK,  Jacob  S., 

Mannfactnrer,  Enterprising   Citizen. 

Schooled  in  manufacturing  by  his 
father  and  for  eleven  years  associated 
in  business  with  his  honored  parent  as 
an  iron  manufacturer,  Jacob  S.  Peacock 
in  later  life  embarked  independently  in 
business,  organized  and  guided  to  pros- 
perity the  Union  Lock  and  Hardware 
Company,  relinquished  his  ownership  in 
this  concern,  and  at  the  present  time  is 
president,  general  manager,  and  active 
head  of  the  Carbon  Steel  Casting  Com- 
pany. The  reputation  of  this  company, 
the  organization  and  mechanism  of  which 
will  be  treated  more  fully  in  following 
pages,  places  it  among  the  leaders  of  pro- 
gressive, modern,  and  firmly  established 
corporations,  and  in  many  ways  it  repre- 
sents an  ideal  for  which  Mr.  Peacock  has 
striven  throughout  his  business  life. 
Jacob  S.  Peacock  has  gained  prominent 
position  in  the  life  of  the  city  of  Lancas- 
ter aside  from  his  importance  in  the  field 
of  business,  and  is  known  and  sought 
after  in  social  and  fraternal  circles.  The 
home  of  the  Benevolent  and  Protective 
Order  of  Elks  in  Lancaster  is  largely  the 
result  of  the  energetic  interest  Mr.  Pea- 
cock has  in  that  organization,  and  with 
all  that  touches  the  public  welfare  he  is 
in  close  sympathy  and  accord. 

Mr.  Peacock's  family  was  founded  by 
John  Peacock,  a  native  of  Scotland,  whose 
son,  John  (2)  Peacock,  married  9th  mo. 
2,  1723,  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  Zachariah 
Prickitt.  Zachariah  Prickitt,  the  pro- 
genitor of  the  Prickitt  family,  was  a  large 
landowner  of  Northampton,  Burlington 
county.  New  Jersey,  where  his  will  was 
probated  March  14,  1727,  this  document 
mentioning  his  sons  and  daughters, 
among  the  latter  the  wife  of  John  (2) 
Peacock.  John  (2)  and  Elizabeth  (Prick- 
itt) Peacock  were  married  by  John  Gos- 
ling, justice   of  Northampton,  and  were 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  parents  of  six  sons  and  four  daugh- 
ters. 

Adonijah  Peacock,  third  son  of  John 
(2)  Peacock,  was  born  8th  mo.  5,  1724. 
He  married  Elizabeth  Springer  and  had 
a  family  of  fourteen  sons  and  daughters, 
nearly  all  of  them  marrying,  several  mov- 
ing to  different  parts  of  the  country, 
south  and  west,  one,  Jacob,  going  to 
Canada. 

Thomas  Peacock,  son  of  Adonijah  and 
Elizabeth  (Springer)  Peacock,  was  born 
July  7,  1762,  and  died  in  Reading,  Penn- 
sylvania, in  1828,  a  resident  of  that  city 
at  his  death.  Throughout  the  greater 
part  of  his  life  he  was  in  business  as  a 
manufacturer  of  cut  nails,  an  industry 
that  was  destroyed  by  the  introduction 
of  machinery  in  1815  for  nail  making. 
The  northern  part  of  the  State  was  the 
field  in  which  he  disposed  of  his  com- 
modity, and  from  1815  until  just  prior  to 
)iis  death  he  engaged  in  boating  on  the 
Schuylkill  Canal.  He  was  the  owner  of 
several  boats,  which  on  the  down  trip 
from  Reading  to  Philadelphia  were  laden 
with  coal,  returning  with  a  cargo  of  mer- 
chandise for  points  up  the  canal.  Thomas 
Peacock  married  Margaret  Orth,  of  Har- 
risburg,  Pennsylvania,  born  in  1791,  died 
in  1874,  who  bore  him  eleven  children. 

Alexander  Hamilton  Peacock,  son  of 
Thomas  and  Margaret  (Orth)  Peacock, 
was  born  in  Reading,  Pennsylvania,  June 
26,  1821,  and  died  in  1897.  As  a  youth 
he  attended  private  school  in  the  place 
of  his  birth,  and  after  the  death  of  his 
father  conducted  the  boating  business  on 
the  canal  for  thirteen  years  with  good 
success.  This  calling  he  had  undertaken 
at  an  early  age,  and  from  1847  until  1863 
he  was  the  proprietor  of  a  general  mer- 
cantile establishment  in  Reading,  a  ven- 
ture that  likewise  met  with  a  favorable 
outcome.  For  the  next  two  and  one- 
half  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  firm 
of  Hunter  &  Peacock,  iron  manufacturers 


of  Mosalem,  Berks  county,  Pennsylvania, 
this  same  firm  also  operating  a  forge  in 
Oley  township,  in  the  same  county,  a 
property  formerly  owned  by  Jacob  K. 
Spang.  In  1867  Mr.  Peacock  took  over 
the  Conestoga  blast  furnace  in  Lancaster, 
and  as  a  member  of  the  firm  of  Thomas  & 
Peacock  operated  it  until  the  death  of 
Mr.  Thomas  in  1879.  The  interest  of  the 
deceased  partner  fell  to  his  son,  Robert 
C.  Thomas,  the  firm  name  being  changed 
to  Peacock  &  Thomas,  and  under  the 
leadership  of  Mr.  Peacock  the  business 
experienced  a  period  of  growth  that  far 
exceeded  the  most  hopeful  expectations. 
The  Hematite  ore  used  in  the  Conestoga 
furnace  was  mined  on  land  in  Lancaster 
county  owned  by  Peacock  &  Thomas. 
Mr.  Peacock  was  a  director  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Iron  Company,  and  in  addition 
to  his  private  business  enterprises  was 
interested  in  furnaces  and  mining  prop- 
erty throughout  the  State.  Among  his 
leading  outside  connections  was  his  share 
in  the  ownership  of  the  Howard  Iron 
Works  in  Center  county,  Pennsylvania, 
which  he  held  from  1872  to  1879,  and  he 
was  also  one  of  the  incorporators  and 
president  of  the  Lancaster  &  Reading 
Narrow  Gauge  railroad,  built  in  1872. 
Fle  married,  in  1849,  Charlotte  K.,  daugh- 
ter of  Jacob  K.  Spang,  the  well  known 
iron  manufacturer  of  Berks  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  had  issue :  William  S., 
Henry  W.,  Anne,  Edward,  Jacob  S.,  of 
whom  further;  Sarah  M.,  Charles  L. 

Jacob  S.  Peacock,  son  of  Alexander 
Hamilton  and  Charlotte  K.  (Spang)  Pea- 
cock, was  born  in  Reading,  Pennsylvania, 
July  22,  1856.  He  obtained  his  education 
in  the  schools  of  Reading,  Mosalem  and 
Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,  in  the  last  named 
city  attending  high  school.  He  also 
studied  under  the  direction  of  a  private 
tutor,  and  when  his  academic  pursuits 
were  completed  he  became  associated 
with  his  father  in  the  management  of  the 


2074 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


elder  Peacock's  interests  in  Center 
county,  Pennsylvania.  Here  he  remained 
until  1876,  when  he  journeyed  to  Vene- 
zuela, South  America,  and  was  employed 
in  gold  mines  south  of  the  Orinoco  river, 
spending  a  year  in  this  locality.  Return- 
ing to  Lancaster,  he  was  for  eleven  years 
his  father's  business  partner,  and  on  July 
I,  1890,  organized  the  Union  Lock  and 
Hardware  Company,  of  which  he  became 
president  and  general  manager,  James  D. 
Landis  filling  the  offices  of  secretary  and 
treasurer.  Until  1901  this  company  en- 
joyed a  prosperous  existence,  and  in  No- 
vember of  that  year  Mr.  Peacock  pur- 
chased the  interests  of  those  associated 
with  him  in  the  enterprise,  remaining  sole 
owner  until  June  of  the  following  year, 
when  he  sold  the  entire  business.  Im- 
mediately after  the  completion  of  this 
deal  he  organized  the  Carbon  Steel  Cast- 
ing Company,  Incorporated,  furnishing 
the  capital  necessary  for  such  action. 
After  securing  as  heads  of  the  diflferent 
departments  of  the  works  men  in  whose 
ability  and  integrity  he  placed  confident 
reliance,  he  put  into  operation  a  plan  upon 
which  he  had  expended  much  careful 
thought,  and  gave  to  the  heads  of  the 
departments  a  large  share  of  the  capital 
stock,  without  expense  to  them.  Other 
noted  manufacturers  and  business  men 
have  joined  Mr.  Peacock  in  instituting 
such  a  system,  the  inauguration  of  which 
showed  him  a  deep  student  of  human 
nature  as  well  as  of  economics.  His  plan 
included  not  only  a  bestowal  of  the  bene- 
fits, but  likewise  an  apportionment  of  the 
responsibility  of  management,  and  the 
success  of  the  arrangement  can  best  be 
gauged  by  the  present  high  financial  rat- 
ing of  the  corporation  and  the  complete- 
ness of  its  organization.  Mr.  Peacock 
remains  at  the  head  of  this  company,  and 
is  surrounded  by  a  capable  corps  of  as- 
sistants to  whom  the  welfare  and  growth 
of  the  business  is  no  less  vital  than  to 


him,  and  who  are  his  loyal  and  devoted 
supporters  in  all  that  he  proposes.  His 
position  in  manufacturing  circles  in  Lan- 
caster is  one  of  eminence  and  importance, 
and  as  a  citizen  he  stands  for  all  that  is 
best  and  worthy. 

He  is  a  communicant  of  Trinity  Luth- 
eran Church,  and  is  a  life  and  honorary 
member  of  the  Benevolent  and  Protective 
Order  of  Elks  of  Lancaster,  this  order  in 
great  measure  indebted  to  him  for  its 
splendid  home  on  North  Duke  street,  his 
strenuous  efforts  in  securing  subscrip- 
tions therefor  resulting  in  the  necessary 
fund.  His  clubs  are  the  Hamilton,  Coun- 
try and  Auto,  of  Lancaster,  and  he  takes 
the  greatest  pleasure  in  out-of-door  sports 
and  recreation  of  all  kinds. 

Jacob  S.  Peacock  married,  December 
II,  1890,  Anna  Deisley,  daughter  of  John 
and  Anna  (Spotts)  Deisley,  of  Lancaster, 
her  father  a  prominent  contractor  and 
builder  of  that  city. 


McGRANN,  Frank, 

Prominent  Ponltry  Breeder. 

The  two  Pennsylvania  generations  of 
his  family  that  have  preceded  Frank 
McGrann  placed  the  family  name  high 
among  successful  railroad  constructors 
and  bridge  builders,  Richard  McGrann 
and  his  son,  Bernard  J.,  making  this  their 
lifework.  It  has  remained  for  Frank,  son 
of  Bernard  J.  and  grandson  of  Richard 
McGrann,  to  place  to  its  credit  worthy 
achievement  in  another  and  far  different 
line,  and  this  he  has  done,  attaining  in 
youthful  years  prominence  and  prosper- 
ity as  one  of  the  leading  poultry  breeders 
of  Pennsylvania.  His  poultry  farm  in 
Lancaster  county  has  a  more  than  local 
reputation,  and  his  ceaseless  experiment- 
ing and  activity  have  made  his  name 
familiar  among  poultry  fanciers  the  coun- 
try over. 

The  American  history  of  this  old  Irish 


PEN— Vol  VI— 16 


2075 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


family  begins  with  the  emigration  from 
the  land  of  his  birth  of  Richard  McGrann, 
in  1819,  and  its  connection  with  Lancaster 
county  dates  from  sixteen  years  later, 
when  Richard  McGrann  made  his  home 
in  Manheim  township  and  there  resided 
until  his  death  in  1867,  aged  seventy-three 
years.  In  the  field  of  railroad  and  public 
contracting  he  was  well  known  and  suc- 
cessful, his  reputation  based  no  less  upon 
the  integrity  and  fairness  that  marked  all 
of  his  dealings  than  by  the  high  grade  and 
excellence  of  the  work  performed  under 
his  name.  The  bridge  that  spans  the 
Schuylkill  river  at  Chestnut  street,  Phila- 
delphia.^was  built  under  his  direction,  and 
he  was  engaged  in  the  construction  of  the 
Pennsylvania  and  Northern  Central  rail- 
road, the  Erie  railroad,  the  Pennsylvania 
railroad,  and  the  Lehigh  &  Susquehanna 
railroad,  his  work  on  the  last  named  road 
including  the  bridge  across  the  Delaware 
river  at  Easton.  It  was  while  this  struc- 
ture was  in  the  course  of  erection  that 
Richard  McGrann's  death  occurred,  but 
this  work,  as  well  as  that  on  the  State 
road  between  Lancaster  and  Philadelphia 
and  on  the  Lehigh,  Raritan,  Union  and 
Welland  canals,  stands  to  the  long  last- 
ing credit  of  his  constructive  skill  and 
ability.  There  went  into  the  operations 
awarded  to  him  much  of  the  strength  and 
reliability  of  his  own  character,  and  he 
never  feared  to  name  his  previous  work 
as  a  recommendation  for  further  orders. 
He  was  enterprising,  resourceful  and  en- 
ergetic, and  his  industrious  application 
brought  him  well  deserved  success. 

Richard  McGrann  married,  prior  to  his 
immigration  to  the  United  States,  Alice, 
(laughter  of  Bartley  Sheridan,  who  died 
in  1848.  They  were  the  parents  of  eight 
children:  The  eldest  died  young;  Brid- 
get, married  Hugh  Fitzpatrick;  Richard; 
Elizabeth,  married  John  McGovern ; 
John ;  Alice  R.,  married  John  T.  Mc- 
Gonicle,  at  one  time  mayor  of  Lancaster, 


Pennsylvania ;   Patrick   F.    Bernard ;  and 
Bernard  J.,  of  whom  further. 

Bernard  J.  McGrann,  son  of  Richard 
and  Alice  (Sheridan)  McGrann,  and 
father  of  Frank  McGrann,  was  born  at 
the  homestead,  Grand  View  Farm,  in 
Manheim  township,  Lancaster  county, 
Pennsylvania,  June  24,  1837,  and  died 
after  a  life  spent  in  the  callings  of  his 
father,  August  28,  1907.  As  a  boy  he  at- 
tended the  schools  of  Lancaster,  later 
matriculating  at  Mount  St.  Mary's  Col- 
lege, Emmitsburg,  Maryland,  where  in 
1854  his  education  was  completed.  From 
this  time  until  his  father's  death  he  was 
engaged  in  agricultural  operations  on  the 
home  estate,  a  beautiful  homestead  in 
Manheim  township,  then  succeeding  his 
father  in  membership  in  the  banking  firm 
of  Reed,  McGrann  &  Company,  of  Lan- 
caster, a  concern  founded  ten  years  prior 
to  the  death  of  Richard  McGrann.  Subse- 
quently Bernard  J.  McGrann  extended 
his  business  interests  into  the  field  in 
which  the  elder  McGrann  had  won  such 
high  position,  and  was  interested  in  the 
building  of  the  Catawissa  Extension  rail- 
road to  Williamsport,  Pennsylvania, 
afterward  grading  a  portion  of  the  Bound 
Brook  railroad,  which  extended  into  New 
Jersey.  Among  his  later  works  were  the 
bridge  across  the  Delaware  at  Jenkin- 
town,  and  the  Pittsburgh  &  Lake  Erie 
railroad  to  Youngstown,  Ohio,  with  a 
bridge  over  the  Ohio  river,  built  in  1878. 
In  addition  to  his  many  and  varied  busi- 
ness interests,  Bernard  J.  McGrann  was 
a  large  real  estate  owner  of  Lancaster, 
his  holdings  including  property  in  the 
city  and  valuable  land  throughout  the 
county,  not  the  least  important  of  which 
was  his  attractive  home  estate.  He  was 
a  director  of  the  Conestoga  National 
Bank,  and  president  of  the  board  of  trus- 
tees of  the  Pennsylvania  Industrial  Re- 
formatory at  Huntingdon,  Pennsylvania. 
In    the    Democratic   organization    in   the 


2070 


c^c^^)-^n^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


county  and  State  he  was  an  influential 
figure,  active  in  all  of  the  party  move- 
ments and  a  leader  in  council,  on  one  oc- 
casion the  unsuccessful  candidate  of  the 
Democratic  party  for  State  treasurer.  His 
life  just  filled  out  man's  allotted  years, 
three  score  and  ten,  and  into  this  period 
he  placed  attainment  of  wrorthy  nature, 
rising  to  leading  position  among  his  fel- 
lows by  virtue  of  compelling  attributes  of 
mind  and  character.  He  married,  Janu- 
ary 3,  1872,  Mary,  widow  of  William  F. 
Kelly  and  daughter  of  Philip  Dougherty, 
of  Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania.  Bernard 
J.  and  Mary  (Dougherty)  (Kelly)  Mc- 
Grann  were  the  parents  of  two  children, 
Richard  Philip,  and  Frank,  of  whom  fur- 
ther. 

Frank  McGrann  was  born  on  the  home- 
stead in  Manheim  township,  Lancaster 
county,  Pennsylvania,  November  13, 
1880.  After  completing  a  course  in  the 
public  schools  of  Lancaster  he  entered 
Mercersburg  Academy,  Mercersburg, 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  finished  his  stud- 
ies. After  leaving  school  he  became  as- 
sociated with  his  father  in  agricultural 
pursuits,  and  upon  reaching  his  majority 
was  entrusted  with  the  management  of 
three  of  his  father's  farms,  an  arrange- 
ment that  continued  until  the  death  of 
Bernard  J.  McGrann.  At  the  present  time 
Mr.  McGrann  gives  his  personal  atten- 
tion to  the  cultivation  of  a  farm  of  four 
hundred  acres  of  the  richest  and  most 
fertile  land  in  the  county,  and  his  suc- 
cessful general  operations  have  given  him 
a  place  well  to  the  fore  among  the  agri- 
culturists of  the  region. 

A  department  of  Mr.  McGrann's  oper- 
ations that  exceeds  all  others  in  interest 
and  which  probably  is  nearer  his  heart 
than  the  wealth  of  his  laden  acres  is  his 
poultry  farm.  Here  he  has  installed 
every  modern  device  and  invention  for 
poultry  breeding,  and  his  black  Minorca 
stock  is  known  wherever  poultry  culture 


is  attempted,  while  his  other  breeds  are 
of  the  purest  and  most  vigorous  strains 
obtainable.  As  proof  of  Mr.  McGrann's 
standing  among  those  who  give  time  and 
attention  to  this  line  is  his  presidency 
(1914)  of  the  Pennsylvania  Poultry 
Breeders'  Association,  also  secretary  of 
the  Pennsylvania  State  Poultry  Associa- 
tion, his  successful  endeavor  in  breeding 
having  much  to  do  with  his  election  to 
these  offices.  Prior  to  the  merging  of  the 
Lancaster  County  Society  for  the  Preven- 
tion of  Cruelty  to  Animals  with  the  Lan- 
caster County  Humane  Society,  he  was 
president  of  the  former  organization,  and 
he  was  one  of  the  organizers  and  the  first 
president  of  the  latter  society.  Mr.  Mc- 
Grann has  also  been  president  of  the 
Federated  Humane  Societies  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, is  a  director  of  the  Conestoga  Na- 
tional Bank,  of  Lancaster,  a  member  of 
the  Lancaster  Country  Club,  the  Benevo- 
lent and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  the 
Knights  of  Columbus,  and  St.  Mary's 
Roman  Catholic  Church. 

He  married,  October  30,  1907,  Blanche 
E.,  daughter  of  Jacob  H.  Hebble,  of  Lan- 
caster, Pennsylvania. 


GRIEST,  Major  EUwood, 

Civil   War  Veteran,   Jonrnalist. 

Major  EUwood  Griest  was  in  every 
sense  a  self-made  man.  A  journeyman 
blacksmith ;  a  country  school  teacher ;  an 
Abolitionist  of  the  most  ultra  type ;  a 
military  record  in  the  service  of  the  Union 
of  great  usefulness ;  a  journalistic  career 
active  and  influential ;  political  promi- 
nence in  the  Republican  party,  and  terms 
of  service  as  county  treasurer  of  Lancas- 
ter county  and  as  postmaster  of  Lancas- 
ter City,  are  features  of  his  well-remem- 
bered and  distinguished  career. 

Major  EUwood  Griest,  son  of  William 
and  Margaret  Wiley  Griest,  was  born  at 
Griest's  Fording,  on  the  Octoraro  creek. 


2077 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


in  West  Nottingham  township,  Chester 
county,  Pennsylvania,  June  17,  1824.  His 
mother,  who  was  the  daughter  of  Thomas 
and  Catherine  Wiley,  died  in  1861,  but  is 
yet  remembered  as  a  prominent  minister 
of  the  Society  of  Friends.  William  Griest 
was  also  a  member  of  the  Society  of 
Friends,  and  both  he  and  his  wife  lie 
buried  in  the  burial  ground  at  Eastland 
Friends  Meeting.  William  Griest's  trade 
was  that  of  a  wheelwright,  and  his  place 
of  business  was  at  Griest's  Fording,  on 
the  Chester  county  side  of  the  Octoraro 
creek.  It  was  decided  that  his  son  Ell- 
wood  should  learn  the  trade  of  black- 
smithing,  a  kindred  occupation,  and  he 
subsequently  pursued  his  trade  in  Lan- 
caster, Chester  and  Delaware  counties. 
Meantime,  before  the  days  of  the  present 
free  school  system  in  Pennsylvania,  he 
taught  school  at  Buckingham  and  other 
places  in  Little  Britain  township.  After 
his  marriage,  in  1849,  he  located  in  the 
blacksmithing  business  in  that  part  of 
Bart  township,  Lancaster  county,  which  is 
now  Eden,  thence  removing  to  Christi- 
ana, where  he  was  conducting  the  black- 
smithing  business  when  the  furies  of  civil 
strife  burst  upon  the  country. 

In  December,  1862,  he  became  a  citizen 
clerk  at  headquarters  of  the  First  Brigade 
(Shaler),  Third  Division,  Sixth  Corps, 
Army  of  the  Potomac,  remaining  there 
until  the  following  October.  He  was 
with  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  during 
the  Chancellorsville  campaign,  the  battle 
of  Maryes  Heights,  Salem  Church,  the 
Gettysburg  campaign,  and  Bristoe  Sta- 
tion, October  14,  1863.  On  October  16, 
1863,  near  Chantilly,  he  was  made  a  pris- 
oner of  war  by  Colonel  Mosby's  guerillas, 
and  was  confined  in  Castle  Thunder 
and  other  Richmond  prisons  until  Janu- 
ary 30,  1864,  when  he  was  paroled  and 
exchanged.  Until  August,  1864,  he  was 
assigned    to    duty    at    Johnson's    Island, 


Lake  Erie.  On  August  27,  1864,  Presi- 
dent Lincoln  issued  to  him  a  commission 
as  captain  in  the  United  States  volunteers 
and  commissary  of  subsistence.  After 
several  months'  service  in  Washington  he 
was  then  assigned  to  duty  with  General 
Sheridan  in  the  Army  of  the  Shenandoah 
and  Middle  Military  Division,  with  head- 
quarters at  Winchester  and  Stevenson's 
Station,  Virginia.  He  was  with  Sheridan 
and  a  member  of  his  staff  throughout  the 
campaign  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley,  and 
when  General  Sheridan  was  transferred 
to  New  Orleans,  in  the  autumn  of  1864, 
he  personally  requested  of  the  War  De- 
partment that  Captain  Griest  be  assigned 
to  duty  with  him  there.  During  the  time 
that  Captain  Griest  was  connected  with 
Sheridan's  staflf,  General  Alexander  Shal- 
er, who  knew  him  well  in  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  and  was  now  commanding  the 
post  of  Columbus,  Kentucky,  made  re- 
peated applications  to  have  him  assigned 
to  duty  on  his  staflf.  These  applications 
were  at  length  referred  by  the  Commis- 
sary General  of  Subsistence  to  General 
Sheridan,  who  returned  them  with  the 
following  endorsement. 

Headquarters  Middle  Military  Division, 
Winchester,  Va.,  December  14,  1864. 
Respectfully  returned  to  the  Commissary  Gen- 
eral, with  the  remark  that  Captain  Griest  is  an 
intelligent  and  efficient  officer,  whose  services  at 
this  time,  in  this  department,  cannot  very  well 
be  dispensed  with. 

By  order  of 

Major  General  Sheridan. 
Jno.  Kellogg,  Col.  and  Chief  C.  S. 

Later  Captain  Griest  was  appointed 
depot  commissary  at  Jacksonville,  Flor- 
ida, where  on  May  11,  1866,  he  received 
his  discharge  from  the  service  with  the 
rank  of  brevet  major.  At  this  time  he 
was  urged  to  accept  an  appointment  in 
the  regular  army  of  the  United  States, 
infantry  branch,  but  declined  to  do  so. 


2078 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


In  September,  1866,  a  vacancy  occurred 
in  the  office  of  county  treasurer  of  Lan- 
caster, by  the  death  of  Samuel  Ensminger, 
and  Major  Griest  was  appointed  county 
treasurer. 

From  early  manhood  Major  Griest  had 
been  a  prolific  writer  for  the  newspapers 
on  the  grave  matters  of  public  concern 
which  then  agitated  the  country,  wielding 
a  facile  and  forceful  pen.  Before  his 
term  as  county  treasurer  expired,  he  be- 
came editor  of  the  "Lancaster  Inquirer," 
then  owned  by  Stuart  A.  Wylie.  In  1868, 
after  he  retired  from  office,  the  publishing 
and  printing  firm  of  Wylie  &  Griest  was 
formed,  and  in  the  four  years  which  inter- 
vened before  the  death  of  Mr.  Wylie  in 
1872,  the  most  extensive  printing  busi- 
ness in  interior  Pennsylvania  was  estab- 
lished by  this  firm.  After  the  death  of 
his  partner,  Mr.  Griest  divorced  himself 
from  the  printing  end  of  the  business  and 
became  the  editor  and  proprietor  of  the 
"Inquirer,"  remaining  so  until  his  death 
twenty-eight  years  afterward.  He  was  a 
fearless,  outspoken  editor — scathing  in 
his  denunciation  of  institutions,  indi- 
viduals or  parties,  whose  ends  he  consid- 
ered unworthy — and  the  principles  which 
he  upheld  were  always  advocated  with 
force  and  effect.  His  paper  was  a  whole- 
some and  widely  read  periodical,  and  the 
editorial  articles  that  came  from  his  pen 
were  the  utterances  of  a  man  thoroughly 
informed,  sound  in  judgment,  and  sincere 
in  statement  and  advocacy. 

In  young  manhood  Major  Griest  was 
a  strong  supporter  of  the  Abolitionist 
cause,  participated  in  the  original  organ- 
ization of  the  Republican  party,  and  dur- 
ing all  his  life  was  politically  prominent. 
He  frequently  presided  at  county  conven- 
tions of  his  party,  and  was  a  delegate  to 
the  first  State  Convention  in  1856.  In 
1868  he  was  a  candidate  for  Congress,  to 
succeed  Thaddeus  Stevens,  withdrawing 

2079 


from  the  Congressional  race  in  favor  of 
O.  J.  Dickey.  After  Mr.  Dickey's  death, 
Major  Griest  was  again  a  candidate  for 
Congress,  his  successful  opponent  being 
A.  Herr  Smith,  to  whom  victory  was 
awarded  after  a  close  and  exciting  con- 
test, decided  by  a  difference  of  fifty-seven 
votes.  In  1888  he  was  a  presidential 
elector.  On  December  11,  1890,  he  was 
appointed  postmaster  of  Lancaster  by 
President  Harrison,  and  was  again  ap- 
pointed to  this  office  by  President  Mc- 
Kinley  on  February  16,  1898,  his  death 
occurring  while  he  was  the  incumbent 
thereof. 

Major  Griest  remained  in  the  religious 
faith  of  his  fathers,  that  of  the  Society  of 
Friends,  and  was  a  member  of  Eastland 
Meeting,  Little  Britain  township,  Lan- 
caster county,  Pennsylvania.  He  was  a 
member  of  George  H.  Thomas  Post,  No. 
84,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic,  and  fra- 
ternized with  Lodge  No.  43,  Free  and 
Accepted  Masons.  His  death  occurred 
February  2,  1900.  He  was  in  all  of  his 
relations  with  his  fellows  considerate, 
courteous  and  upright,  and  by  them  he 
was  highly  regarded  and  respected,  and 
with  them  he  left  the  imprint  of  a  forceful 
personality. 

Major  Ellwood  Griest  married  Rebecca 
Walton,  daughter  of  Asa  Walton  and  his 
wife,  Mary  Taylor,  of  Bart  township, 
Lancaster  county,  March  23,  1849.  Three 
children  resulted  from  this  union — Asa 
Walton,  who  died  September  17,  1852; 
Frank,  a  teacher  and  business  man,  who 
died  March  5,  1910;  and  William  Walton, 
who  at  the  time  of  his  father's  death  was 
Secretary  of  State  for  the  Commonwealth 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  at  the  date  of  this 
publication  was  serving  his  fourth  term 
as  Representative  in  Congress  from  the 
Ninth  Congressional  District  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


BELL,  Charles  Herbert, 

Enterprising  Business  Man. 

Prominently  identified  with  large  mer- 
cantile interests  of  Philadelphia  from  his 
entrance  into  business,  Mr.  Bell  has  won 
honorable  position  in  the  flour  business, 
a  line  of  activity  with  which  his  family 
has  been  connected  for  many  years.  He 
is  a  native  son  of  Philadelphia,  and  with 
the  exception  of  his  years  at  college  and 
university  has  continuously  resided  in 
that  city.  He  is  a  descendant  of  an  an- 
cient family  that  appeared  in  New  Eng- 
land as  early  as  1643,  in  Virginia  in  1645, 
in  New  Jersey  before  1680,  and  in  Penn- 
sylvania about  1682.  While  the  greater 
number  of  the  early  emigrants  came  to 
America  from  Edinburgh,  Linlithgow, 
Paisley  and  Glasgow,  in  Scotland,  some 
came  from  the  north  of  England  and  Ire- 
land and  some  from  the  south  of  Ireland. 
Among  the  Bells  of  Scotland,  Samuel, 
John,  James,  and  William  are  almost  uni- 
versal, the  names  enduring  in  the  same 
family  from  generation  to  generation. 

Charles  Herbert  Bell  was  born  in  Phil- 
adelphia, October  16,  1877,  son  of  Sam- 
uel Jr.  and  Ada  A.  (Rees)  Bell,  and 
grandson  of  Samuel  Bell.  Samuel  Bell 
Jr.  is  yet  actively  engaged  in  business  in 
Philadelphia,  head  of  Samuel  Bell  &  Sons, 
president  of  the  Quaker  City  Flour  Mills 
Company,  vice-president  of  the  Eighth 
National  Bank,  vice-president  of  the  Mer- 
chants' Warehouse  Company,  a  director 
of  the  Board  of  City  Trusts,  of  the  United 
Security  Life  Insurance  and  Trust  Com- 
pany of  Philadelphia,  of  the  Philadelphia 
Rapid  Transit  Company,  and  of  several 
mining,  power  and  water  companies. 

After  graduation  at  Eastburn  Academy 
in  1894,  Charles  H.  Bell  entered  Haver- 
ford  College,  class  of  1898,  going  thence 
to  Harvard  University,  from  which  insti- 
tution he  was  graduated  Bachelor  of  Arts, 
class  of   1900.     On  his  return  to   Phila- 


delphia he  entered  business  life,  engaging 
with  his  father,  and  has  so  continued  until 
the  present.  He  is  treasurer  of  the 
Quaker  City  Flour  Mills  Company,  one 
of  the  large  flouring  and  milling  concerns 
of  the  city,  is  secretary  and  treasurer  of 
the  Bufifalo  Flour  Milling  Company,  and 
vice-president  of  the  Commercial  Ex- 
change of  Philadelphia.  He  has  won  his 
way  to  worthy  place  through  successive 
promotion,  and  is  one  of  the  strong  men 
of  the  companies  in  which  he  holds  offi- 
cial position.  Mr.  Bell  is  a  Republican 
in  politics,  but  never  has  accepted  public 
office.  He  is  a  member  of  old  North 
(Broad  Street)  Presbyterian  Church,  in- 
terested in  and  a  worker  toward  its  pros- 
perity. His  clubs  are  the  Union  League, 
the  Racquet,  Bachelors'  Barge,  Merion 
Cricket,  and  Philadelphia  Cricket,  and  in 
these  he  finds  social  enjoyment  and  a 
means  of  indulging  his  love  of  out-of- 
door  sports.     He  is  unmarried. 


POTTS,  William  M., 

Civil  Engineer,  Financier. 

The  name  of  Potts  has  figured  promi- 
nently in  Pennsylvania  history  for  many 
generations.  The  family  is  of  German 
origin,  but  the  branch  which  has  been  so 
well  known  in  Pennsylvania  sprang  from 
a  stock  that  flourished  in  England  for 
more  than  a  hundred  years  before  a  scion 
was  transplanted  to  the  New  World. 

The  first  representative  of  the  famnj' 
in  America  was  Thomas  Potts  Jr.  Ht 
was  born  in  Wales  in  1680,  came  to  Penn 
sylvania  as  a  boy  and  settled  in  German- 
town.  The  subsequent  history  of  the 
family  is  found  in  "A  Memorial  of 
Thomas  Potts  Jr."  among  the  records  of 
the  Pennsylvania  Historical  Society. 

Joseph  D.  Potts,  father  of  William  M. 
Potts,  was  born  at  Springton  Forge, 
Chester  county,  Pennsylvania,  December 
4,  1829.     He  became  a  civil  engineer  and 


2080 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF   \>.H HjKM'IW 


was  engaged  in  railroad  work  in  Pennsyl- 
vania for  many  years,  first  as  an  engineer 
and  then  in  official  capacity.  Pie  was 
superintendent  of  the  western  division  of 
the  Pennsylvania  railroad  and  president 
of  the  Western  Transportation  Company. 
In  1861  Governor  Curtin  appointed  him 
en  his  active  staff  as  lieutenant-colonel 
and  chief  of  the  transportation  and  tele- 
graph department  of  the  State.  He  was 
active  in  the  Civil  War  both  as  a  soldier 
and  in  charge  of  the  movement  of  troops, 
and  after  he  returned  to  private  life  was 
president  of  and  extensively  interested  in 
various  transportation  companies,  one  of 
which  was  the  owner  of  a  large  fleet  of 
propellers  on  the  great  lakes.  Later  he 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  charcoal 
iron,  which  he  continued  until  the  time 
of  his  death  in  1893.  He  married  Mary 
McCleery.  at  Milton,  Northumberland 
county,  Pennsylvania.  She  was  a  de- 
scendant of  the  Scotch-Irish  Covenanters 
who  settled  in  that  region  of  the  State. 

William  M.  Potts  was  born  in  1856,  in 
Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania.  He  also  fol- 
lowed civil  engineering,  and  was  a  grad- 
uate of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania 
in  1876.  For  a  few  years  his  business 
took  him  to  Colorado  and  New  Mexico, 
but  in  1880  he  returned  to  Chester  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  engaged  in  the  iron 
business  with  his  father.  Upon  the  death 
of  his  father  Mr.  Potts  was  obliged  to 
shoulder  great  responsibilities,  but  he  met 
all  demands  made  upon  him  with  char- 
acteristic energy  and  business  ability  of 
a  high  order.  Aside  from  this  his  own 
interests  soon  became  varied  and  exten- 
sive until  now  he  is  identified  with  many 
enterprises  as  officer  and  director.  He  is 
president  of  the  Enterprise  Transit  Com- 
pany, Midland  Mining  Company,  Kewa- 
nee  Oil  and  Gas  Company,  Lycoming 
Mining  Company,  vice-president  of  Tono- 
pah  Belmont  Development  Company,  Bel- 
mont Milling  Company,  Jim  Butler  Tono- 

208 


pah  Mining  Company,  Chester  County 
Trust  Company,  Coatcsville  Trust  Com- 
pany, and  director  of  the  Tonopah  & 
Goldfield  Railroad  Company,  Nevada 
Wonder  Mining  Company,  Esmeralda 
Power  Company,  Marion  Oil  Company, 
I.  P.  Morris  Iron  Works,  and  the  Wil- 
liam Cramp  &  Sons  Ship  and  Engine 
Building  Company. 

Mr.  Potts  is  a  member  of  the  Art,  Uni- 
versity and  Engineers'  clubs,  the  Frank- 
lin Institute  of  Philadelphia,  the  Society 
of  Mining  Engineers,  and  is  a  trustee  of 
the  Presbyterian  church.  For  many  years 
he  has  been  one  of  the  board  of  managers 
of  the  Chester  County  Hospital,  and 
many  other  worthy  enterprises  have 
claimed  his  attention.  He  is  a  man  of 
large-hearted  benevolence,  and  has  been 
most  generous  in  sharing  his  good  for- 
tune with  others  as  well  as  providing  im- 
provements of  various  kinds  to  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  lives.  He  has  built  at 
his  own  expense  a  number  of  bridges 
and  several  miles  of  macadam  roads.  He 
has  also  been  township  supervisor  for  the 
past  six  years.  Mr.  Potts  is  a  man  of  rare 
business  ability  and  unusually  good  judg- 
ment and  as  such  has  played  an  impor- 
tant part  in  the  business  life  of  Philadel- 
phia and  vicinity.  He  has  an  honored 
lineage  and  has  ever  been  true  to  the  best 
traditions  of  the  family. 

On  October  3.  1888.  Mr.  Potts  was  mar- 
ried to  Ginevra  Harrison,  of  Newark,  New- 
Jersey,  daughter  of  John  D.  Harrison,  a 
prominent  manufacturer.  Their  home  is 
at  Wyebrooke,  Chester  county.  Pennsyl- 
vania. 


STERN,  William  J., 

Business  Man,  Pnblic  Official. 

Few  names  are  more  familiar  in  con- 
nection with  the  civic  and  industrial 
annals  of  Erie  county,  Pennsylvania,  than 
that  borne  by  the  subject  of  this  review. 
I 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


William  J.  Stern,  now  mayor  of  the  city 
of  Erie,  who  has  devoted  his  life  to  the 
betterment  of  conditions  in  the  commun- 
ity in  which  he  lives.  He  is  the  son  of 
Martin  Stern,  who  was  born  in  Germany, 
and  came  to  this  country  in  1847,  and  his 
mother  was  Mary  Virginia  (Lerch)  Stern, 
born  in  the  State  of  Pennsylvania. 

William  J.  Stern  was  born  in  Allen- 
town,  Pennsylvania,  December  24,  1863. 
He  obtained  a  substantial  and  practical 
education  in  the  public  and  high  schools 
of  Erie.  Upon  the  completion  of  his  edu- 
cation he  entered  upon  his  business  career, 
which  has  been  a  most  successful  one. 
He  has  always  been  connected  with  the 
wholesale  cigar  and  tobacco  business,  and 
has  been  a  progressive  and  wide-awake 
business  man  all  his  life.  Mr.  Stern  has 
always  given  great  attention  to  the  con- 
duct of  the  civic  affairs  of  the  community, 
and  has  been  instrumental  in  introducing 
many  beneficial  innovations.  He  was  one 
of  the  dozen  men  who  founded  the  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce  of  Erie,  March  6,  1902, 
and  through  the  influence  of  this  body 
many  conventions  have  been  secured  for 
the  city,  and  numerous  other  good  move- 
ments started.  Mr.  Stern  served  as  chair- 
man of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  from 
1909  until  his  election  as  mayor  of  the 
city,  and  he  has  always  been  a  member  of 
the  directorate.  He  has  been  rather  inde- 
pendent in  his  political  affiliations,  active, 
but  never  an  office  seeker,  and  his  elec- 
tion as  mayor  of  the  city  of  Erie  in  191 1 
is  a  proof  of  the  high  esteem  in  which  he 
is  held  by  all  and  of  the  well  earned  popu- 
larity he  enjoys.  Mr.  Stern  is  a  member 
of  several  fraternal  organizations  and  the 
Associate  Society  of  the  Grand  Army  of 
the  Republic,  in  the  organization  of  which 
he  was  a  leading  spirit.  Mr.  Stern  has 
ever  been  deeply  interested  in  the  young, 
and  realizes  the  fact  that  their  environ- 
ment has  much  to  do  with  the  shaping 
of   their   characters.      He,   therefore,   be- 


lieves in  surrounding  boys  and  girls  with 
good  influences,  and  they  recognize  in 
him  a  warm  and  constant  friend.  His  life 
contains  the  elements  of  greatness  in  that 
it  is  not  self-centered,  but  is  largely  de- 
voted to  the  welfare  of  his  fellow  men, 
his  influence  being  ever  on  the  side  of 
progress  and  improvement.  "Not  the 
good  that  comes  to  us  but  the  good  that 
comes  to  the  world  through  us  is  the 
measure  of  our  success."  And  judged  in 
this  way.  Mayor  William  J-  Stern  is  a 
most  successful  man. 


FON  DERSMITH,  Charles  A., 

Civil  War  Veteran,  Enterprising  Citizen. 

In  the  death  of  Charles  A.  Fon  Der- 
smith,  of  Lancaster,  the  Farmers'  Trust 
Company,  of  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania, 
lost  an  official  whose  relation  with  the 
institution  covered  a  large  part  of  its  exis- 
tence under  two  names,  the  Farmers'  Na- 
tional Bank  and  the  Farmers'  Trust  Com- 
pany, one  who  had  been  connected  there- 
with in  two  terms  of  service,  one  of  thir- 
teen and  the  other  of  twenty-six  years. 
Nor  was  this  the  only  concern  in  which 
his  loss  was  felt,  for  while  the  financial 
world  of  Lancaster  had  been  the  field  of 
most  of  his  activity,  he  had  yet  been  asso- 
ciated with  numerous  leading  business 
and  industrial  enterprises,  and  his  influ- 
ence had  extended  deep  into  many  chan- 
nels. Charles  A.  Fon  Dersmith  was 
prominent  fraternally  in  Lancaster,  the 
city  of  his  birth,  was  active  in  religious 
work,  and  both  contributed  to  and  aided 
in  the  direction  of  the  charitable  institu- 
tions of  the  city.  The  Lancaster  General 
Hospital,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the 
founders  in  1893,  benefited  much  from 
his  diligent  labors  in  its  behalf,  and  for 
several  years  he  was  its  treasurer, 
anxiously  and  devotedly  guarding  and 
advancing  its  interests.  Lancaster  re- 
ceived much  from  him  in  the  useful  serv- 


2082 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF   BIOGRAPHY 


ice  of  good  citizenship,  and  repaid  him 
with  confidence,  regard,  and  respect. 

Charles  A.  Fon  Dersmith  was  a  son  of 
Henry  C.  Fon  Dersmith,  born  April  3, 
1820,  died  April  8,  1871,  and  his  wife, 
Anna  Maria  Burg,  born  April  23,  1820, 
died  March  23,  1887;  and  grandson  of 
George  Fon  Dersmith,  born  December 
14,  1780,  died  in  Lancaster  county,  No- 
vember 21,  1834,  and  his  wife,  Elizabeth 
Sindle,  born  November  9,  1780,  died  Oc- 
tober 5,  1827.  Children  of  Henry  C.  and 
Anna  Maria  (Burg)  Fon  Dersmith: 
Henry  A.,  Charles  A.,  of  further  men- 
tion ;  Lucius  K.,  Eva  A.,  George  L.,  and 
Frank  B. 

Charles  A.  Fon  Dersmith  was  born  in 
Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,  July  24,  1846, 
and  when  he  was  a  youth  nine  years 
of  age  his  parents  moved  to  Columbia, 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  completed  the 
studies  begun  in  the  public  schools  of  his 
birthplace.  Here  also  he  became  associ- 
ated in  business  with  his  father,  a  dry 
goods  merchant,  and  as  soon  as  he  at- 
tained the  age  necessary  for  enlistment  in 
the  Union  army  he  went  to  the  front  as 
a  member  of  Company  F,  One  Hundred 
and  Ninety-fifth  Regiment  Pennsylvania 
Volunteer  Infantry,  with  the  rank  of  cor- 
poral. At  the  close  of  the  war  he  returned 
to  his  home,  having  been  promoted  to  the 
rank  of  sergeant,  and  at  once  accepted  a 
position  as  messenger  in  the  Columbia 
National  Bank,  at  the  end  of  two  years 
becoming  a  clerk  in  the  same  bank.  A 
short  time  afterwards  he  was  raised  to  the 
position  of  receiving  teller,  which  he  re- 
signed in  February,  1869,  to  accept  the 
position  of  discount  clerk  and  receiving 
teller  in  the  Farmers'  National  Bank,  of 
Lancaster,  remaining  in  this  institution 
until  1882.  The  New  Fulton  National 
Bank  was  organized  in  this  year,  and 
upon  being  offered  the  office  of  cashier, 
Mr.  Fon  Dersmith  accepted  the  same. 
Four  years  afterward  the  Farmers'  Na- 


tional Bank  of  Lancaster  opened  negotia- 
tions with  him  through  the  board  of  direc- 
tors and  made  him  an  attractive  proposi- 
tion of  the  office  of  cashier,  which  he  fav- 
orably considered.  When  the  Farmers' 
National  Bank  became  the  Farmers' 
Trust  Company,  Mr.  Fon  Dersmith  was 
elected  treasurer  of  the  new  organization, 
discharging  the  responsible  duties  of  this 
office  until  his  death,  April  12,  1909. 

Charles  A.  Fon  Dersmith  was  well 
known  in  his  city  and  among  the  resi- 
dents of  the  surrounding  country,  his 
straightforward,  progressive  business 
methods  making  a  lasting  impression 
upon  all  with  whom  he  had  dealings.  His 
position  in  the  financial  life  of  Lancaster 
was  an  important  one,  and  in  gatherings 
of  the  heads  of  the  institutions  with  which 
he  was  connected  his  expressed  opinions 
and  judgment  carried  force  and  weight. 
Aside  from  the  interests  previously  men- 
tioned, Mr.  Fon  Dersmith  was  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  Hamilton  Watch  Com- 
pany and  extensively  interested  therein, 
from  1883  to  1899  was  one  of  the  owners 
of  the  Conestoga  Paper  Mills  at  Eden, 
Pennsylvania,  and  for  years  was  a  direc- 
tor of  the  Marietta  Turnpike  Company. 
Mr.  Fon  Dersmith  was  one  of  the  organ- 
izers of  the  Lancaster  Board  of  Trade  and 
was  elected  to  the  presidency  of  that 
organization,  and  was  one  of  the  leaders 
in  the  promotion  of  Lancaster's  present 
electric  lighting  system.  No  labor  for  his 
city's  benefit  was  too  arduous,  no  duty 
too  exacting,  no  sacrifice  of  time  or  con- 
venience too  great. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Trinity  Lu- 
theran Evangelical  Church,  an  elder  and 
trustee  of  the  congregation,  a  member  of 
the  board  of  Home  Missions  Lutheran 
Ministerium  of  Pennsylvania,  and  held 
membership  on  the  board  of  trustees  of 
Muhlenberg  College.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Lan- 
caster Young   Men's   Christian   Associa- 


2083 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


tion  and  of  the  Ann  C.  Witmer  Home, 
and  in  1893  was  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  Lancaster  General  Hospital.  This 
latter  institution,  that  has  so  substantially 
proved  its  worth  and  value  to  the  city, 
he  served  for  several  years  as  treasurer, 
and  although  there  was  not  a  degree  of 
difference  in  his  faithfulness  to  the  organ- 
izations of  this  nature  with  which  he  was 
related,  this  was  probably  the  one  to 
which  he  felt  most  closely  attached,  for 
to  his  strenuous  efforts  its  birth  had  been 
due  in  no  small  measure.  Mr.  Fon  Der- 
smith  was  a  Republican,  but  one  in  sym- 
pathy and  at  the  polls  only,  for  he  never 
entered  political  life.  His  fraternal  con- 
nections were  with  the  Masonic  order,  in 
which  he  held  high  degree  and  position. 

It  mattered  not  whether  one  was  asso- 
ciated with  Mr.  Fon  Dersmith  in  busi- 
ness, in  finance,  in  religious  work,  in 
philanthropy,  or  in  fraternal  activity,  or 
whether  he  was  but  a  social  friend,  his 
actions  and  speech  were  always  those  of 
a  Christian  gentleman,  and  his  daily  life 
was  a  sermon — a  sermon  of  clean  and 
upright  life. 

He  married,  November  7,  1877,  Annie 
Downing  Truscott,  daughter  of  Samuel 
and  Ann  E.  (Downing)  Truscott,  of  Co- 
lumbia, Pennsylvania,  who  survives  him, 
a  resident  of  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania. 


KELTZ,  John  W., 

Bank  Officer,  Public  Official. 

John  W.  Keltz,  of  Jeannette,  West- 
moreland county,  Pennsylvania,  cashier 
of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Jeannette, 
represents  a  family  which  came  to  this 
country  from  England,  although  its 
origin  was  probably  in  Germany. 

Samuel  Keltz,  grandfather  of  John  W. 
Keltz,  came  from  England  to  America, 
and  located  on  a  farm  in  Westmoreland 
county,  becoming  one  of  the  pioneer  set- 


tlers of  that  section.  He  was  engaged  in 
farming  until  his  death. 

George  Keltz,  son  of  Samuel  and  father 
of  John  W.  Keltz,  remained  under  the 
paternal  roof  until  he  was  twenty-three 
years  of  age,  when,  having  married,  he 
engaged  in  the  lumber  business  with 
which  he  was  actively  identified  until  his 
retirement  from  business  life.  He  was  a 
Methodist  in  religious  belief,  and  a 
staunch  supporter  of  Democratic  princi- 
ples all  his  life.  He  married  Jane  Knox, 
and  they  became  the  parents  of  fourteen 
children. 

John  W.  Keltz,  son  of  George  and  Jane 
(Knox)  Keltz,  was  born  in  the  Ligonier 
Valley,  Westmoreland  county,  December 
24,  1869.  He  acquired  his  early  education 
in  the  public  schools  near  his  home,  and 
subsequently  attended  the  Ligonier  Acad- 
emy, from  which  he  was  graduated  with 
honor.  He  was  a  very  young  lad  when 
he  commenced  earning  his  own  liveli- 
hood, leaving  home  at  the  age  of  nine 
years.  From  his  earliest  years  he  had 
been  of  an  ambitious  and  energetic  nature 
and,  in  order  to  secure  the  advantages  of 
a  good  education,  he  continued  working 
on  neighboring  farms  during  the  summer 
months,  and  during  the  winter  he  attend- 
ed school.  He  then  made  his  home  with 
Dr.  Ambrose,  an  old  friend  of  the  Keltz 
family,  remaining  with  this  gentleman 
until  he  had  attained  his  seventeenth 
year.  By  this  time  he  had  become  suffi- 
ciently well  educated  to  accept  the  posi- 
tion of  clerk  in  the  ofifice  of  the  Ligonier 
Valley  railroad,  holding  this  three  years  ; 
he  then  became  deputy  clerk  of  West- 
moreland county  court  for  his  brother- 
in-law,  James  D.  Best,  a  position  he  re- 
signed at  the  end  of  four  months,  in  order 
to  become  clerk  in  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Jeannette.  After  five  years  in 
this  position,  where  his  fidelity  was  thor- 
oughly appreciated,  he  was  elected  cashier 


2084 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  the  institution,  in  which  position  he  is 
at  the  present  time.  He  was  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  Jeannette  Savings  and 
Trust  Company,  of  Jeannette,  is  treasurer 
of  this  institution,  and  is  identified  with 
a  number  of  other  enterprises  in  West- 
moreland county.  He  is  a  member  of 
lodge,  chapter  and  commandery  of  the 
order  of  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  and 
is  also  a  member  of  the  Benevolent  and 
Protective  Order  of  Elks.  His  public 
career  has  also  been  a  most  creditable 
and  commendable  one.  He  has  served 
as  a  member  of  the  school  board  of  Jean- 
nette for  a  period  of  nine  years,  being 
president  of  the  board  during  six  years 
of  this  term ;  was  a  member  of  the  city 
council  twelve  years,  and  served  as  presi- 
dent of  this  honorable  body  during  eleven 
years  of  this  period ;  he  was  appointed  by 
the  court  as  receiver  for  the  National 
Glass  Company,  when  that  concern  had 
gone  into  liquidation,  and  straightened 
out  its  complicated  affairs  in  a  very  satis- 
factory manner.  His  religious  affiliation 
is  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  church, 
of  which  he  is  a  trustee.  Mr.  Keltz  has 
served  as  superintendent  of  the  Sunday 
school  for  five  years. 

He  married  Irma,  a  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam Dickey,  of  Apollo,  Armstrong  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania. 


SHIELDS,  James  Craig, 

Noted   Educator. 

James  Craig  Shields,  who  has  been 
actively  and  prominently  identified  with 
educational  affairs  in  Westmoreland 
county,  Pennsylvania,  for  many  years, 
serving  at  the  present  time  (1914)  as 
superintendent  of  the  city  schools  of 
Irwin,  is  a  descendant  of  a  family  that 
made  their  home  in  the  North  of  Ireland, 
from  whence  the  immigrant  ancestor. 
John  Shields,  came  to  this  country  in  the 
year     1750,     settling     in     Westmoreland 


county,  Pennsylvania,  in  which  section 
his  descendants  have  since  resided,  bear- 
ing well  their  part  in  its  development  and 
improvement. 

James  Shields,  grandfather  of  James  C. 
Shields,  was  a  native  of  Westmoreland 
county,  Pennsylvania,  as  was  also  Mat- 
thew Shields,  father  of  James  C.  Shields, 
whose  death  occurred  there  in  1892,  his 
wife,  Frances  (Sloanj  Shields,  still  living 
at  the  age  of  seventy-four,  on  the  old 
farm,  having  a  deed  of  the  original  entry 
in  1769.  They  were  the  parents  of  six 
children,  the  eldest  of  whom  was  James 
Craig. 

James  Craig  Shields  was  born  in  West- 
moreland county,  Pennsylvania,  May  13, 
1862.  His  preliminary  education  was  ob- 
tained in  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
county,  and  in  1879  he  became  a  student 
in  the  Washington  and  Jefiferson  College, 
graduating  from  that  institution  in  the 
class  of  1882  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor 
of  Arts.  He  then  accepted  a  position  as 
teacher  in  the  Greensburg  high  school, 
and  after  two  years'  service  in  that  capac- 
ity was  appointed  principal,  serving  as 
such  for  three  years,  making  five  years  in 
all.  He  then  pursued  a  course  of  study  in 
law  in  the  office  of  W'illiams,  Sloan  & 
Griffith,  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  West- 
moreland county  in  1892  and  engaged  in 
the  active  practice  of  his  profession  in 
Greensburg,  continuing  for  several  years, 
achieving  a  large  degree  of  success  as  the 
result  of  his  comprehensive  knowledge  of 
the  law  in  its  various  forms,  persistent 
effort  and  painstaking  work  in  the  inter- 
est of  his  clients.  He  then  resumed  his 
former  vocation,  accepting  a  position  as 
principal  of  the  school  at  New  Alexan- 
dria, Pennsylvania,  in  which  capacity  he 
served  up  to  the  fall  of  1906,  when  he 
came  to  Irwin,  Pennsylvania,  and  taught 
in  the  high  school  for  a  period  of  two 
years,  and  in  191 1  was  elected  superin- 
tendent of  the  citv  schools  of  Irwin  and 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


has  held  that  position  ever  since,  his  serv- 
ices being  eminently  satisfactory  to  all 
concerned,  meeting  with  the  approbation 
they  deserve.  He  is  progressive  in  his 
ideas,  and  demands  thoroughness  and 
efficiency  from  all  under  his  control, 
judges  the  candidates  for  positions  as 
teachers  on  their  own  merits,  allowing  no 
favoritism  or  partiality  to  dominate  his 
actions.  In  1914  he  was  appointed  by 
President  Wilson  to  the  position  of  post- 
master of  Irwin,  the  duties  of  which  he  is 
performing  in  a  thoroughly  capable  man- 
ner. He  is  connected  with  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Irwin,  being  a 
member  of  the  board  of  elders  and  board 
of  trustees,  and  takes  an  active  interest 
in  the  work  of  all  the  societies  of  the 
same.  He  has  attained  the  degree  of 
Knight  Templar  in  the  Masonic  order, 
and  his  allegiance  is  given  to  the  Demo- 
cratic party. 

Mr.  Shields  married,  October  27,  1892, 
Anna  C.  Cook,  born  in  Westmoreland 
county,  Pennsylvania,  daughter  of  Dr. 
Joseph  L.  Cook,  of  Westmoreland  coun- 
ty.   Children  :    James  Cook,  born  August 

27,  1895  ;  Joseph  Matthew,  born  January 
31,   1898;   Foster  Sloan,  born   December 

28,  1906. 


CAMERON,  Alexander  P., 

Prominent   Business  Man. 

Alexander  P.  Cameron,  serving  in  the 
capacity  of  general  superintendent  of  the 
Westmoreland  Coal  Company,  of  Irwin, 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  is  prominently 
and  actively  identified  with  all  enterprises 
that  afifect  the  general  welfare,  is  a  de- 
scendant of  a  family  of  Scotch  ancestry, 
and  the  characteristics  of  that  race  have 
been  transmitted  in  large  degree  to  the 
various  members  of  the  family. 

Peter  Cameron,  father  of  Alexander  P. 
Cameron,  was  reared  and  educated  in  his 
native   land,   Scotland,   and  upon  attain- 


ing manhood,  in  order  to  improve  his 
condition  and  enlarge  his  opportunities, 
he  came  to  the  United  States  and  located 
in  Blossburg,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  coal  mining,  employed  by  the 
Fallbrook  Coal  Company  at  Blossburg. 
Later  he  moved  to  Clearfield  county  and 
engaged  with  the  Berwynd  White  Coal 
Mining  Company,  was  their  chief  man  in 
charge  of  their  entire  coal  mining  prop- 
erties, which  position  he  held  up  to  the 
time  of  his  death.  He  proved  a  most 
faithful  and  competent  person  in  that 
capacity,  being  thoroughly  posted  in 
every  department  of  the  mining  business, 
and  his  integrity  was  never  questioned. 
He  was  a  Republican  in  politics,  but 
never  sought  or  held  public  office.  He 
married  Christine  Pollock,  a  native  of 
Scotland,  who  bore  him  twelve  children, 
seven  of  whom  are  living  at  the  present 
time  (1914). 

Alexander  P.  Cameron  was  born  in 
Blossburg,  Pennsylvania,  June  20,  1859, 
third  child  in  the  family  in  order  of  birth. 
He  attended  the  schools  adjacent  to  his 
home,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty  began  his 
business  with  the  Berwynd  White  Coal 
Alining  Company,  and  served  with  that 
company  for  five  years,  giving  entire  sat- 
isfaction to  all  concerned.  He  then  be- 
came connected  with  the  Whitmer  Land 
and  Lumber  Company,  and  after  two 
years'  service  entered  the  employ  of  the 
Boliver  Coal  and  Coke  Company,  with 
whom  he  remained  a  similar  period  of 
time,  then  became  an  employee  of  the 
Manor  Gas,  Coal  and  Coke  Company,  a 
subsidiary  of  the  Westmoreland  Coal 
Company,  his  connection  with  this  con- 
cern covering  a  period  of  twenty  years, 
from  1906  to  1912  was  connected  with 
the  Penn  Gas  Coal  Company,  another 
subsidiary  of  the  Westmoreland  Coal 
Company,  and  in  the  latter  named  year 
was  appointed  general  superintendent  of 
the    Westmoreland    Coal    Company,    his 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


present  position.  In  the  discharge  of  his 
duties  displaying  the  utmost  wisdom, 
showing  no  partiality,  but  treating  all 
according  to  their  merit,  hence  he  is  re- 
spected and  admired  by  all  under  his  con- 
trol. He  casts  his  vote  for  the  candidates 
of  the  Republican  party,  and  in  the  Ma- 
sonic order  he  has  attained  the  rank  of 
Knight  Templar. 

Mr.  Cameron  married,  June  3,  1883, 
May  B.  Roberts,  born  in  Wellsboro,  Penn- 
sylvania, July,  1863,  daughter  of  William 
and  Margaret  (Sturrock)  Roberts.  Chil- 
dren :  James  R.,  born  April  30,  1886, 
graduate  of  Cornell  University ;  W. 
Roberts,  born  August  20,  1888,  a  gradu- 
ate of  Princeton  College ;  Margaret,  born 
April  6,  i8go,  a  graduate  of  Women's 
College,  Frederick,  Maryland ;  Christine, 
born  August  31,  1894,  at  present  a  stu- 
dent at  Margaret  Morrison  Carnegie 
School ;  Edward,  born  April  22,  1902. 

The  family  occupy  a  place  of  promi- 
nence in  the  social  circles  of  Irwin,  and 
in  all  the  movements  for  the  betterment 
and  development  of  the  section  wherein 
they  reside,  take  an  active  part. 


CUNNINGHAM,  John  B., 

Noted  Financier. 

The  family  of  which  John  B.  Cunning- 
ham, cashier  of  the  First  National  Bank 
of  Irwin,  Pennsylvania,  is  a  member  is  of 
Scotch  origin,  his  grandfather,  Robert 
Cunningham,  having  been  a  native  of 
Scotland,  from  whence  he  emigrated  to 
this  country,  locating  in  Westmoreland 
county,  Pennsylvania,  being  one  of  the 
early  settlers  of  that  section.  He  was  a 
prosperous  farmer,  a  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church,  a  Republican  in  politics, 
and  served  as  colonel  in  one  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania regiments  during  the  Civil  War. 

J.  E.  Cunningham,  father  of  John  B. 
Cunningham,  purchased  a  farm  adjoin- 
ing the  land  of  his  father  in  Westmore- 


land county,  Pennsylvania,  and  is  resid- 
ing on  the  same  at  the  present  time  (1914) 
at  the  age  of  seventy  years,  and  in  addi- 
tion to  this  is  the  owner  of  a  large  amount 
of  real  estate  in  the  same  county,  which 
is  steadily  increasing  in  value.  He  has 
always  been  progressive  in  his  methods, 
and  therefore  has  derived  a  goodly  in- 
come from  his  agricultural  pursuits.  He 
is  a  Presbyterian  in  religion,  and  a  Re- 
publican in  politics.  He  married  Mar- 
garet Rankin,  a  native  of  Westmoreland 
county,  Pennsylvania,  who  bore  him  three 
children :  Arthur  R.,  born  January  4, 
1871 ;  John  B.,  of  whom  further;  Bessie, 
born  June,  1875,  niarried  William  Samp- 
son and  they  are  the  parents  of  three  chil- 
dren, two  sons  and  a  daughter;  they  re- 
side at  West  Newton,  Pennsylvania. 

John  B.  Cunningham  was  born  in 
Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania,  Au- 
gust 13,  1872.  He  obtained  a  practical 
education  in  the  schools  of  the  neighbor- 
hood, supplementing  this  by  a  course  in 
a  business  school,  hence  is  well  qualified 
for  the  active  duties  of  life.  He  remained 
with  his  parents  until  he  was  twenty-five 
years  of  age,  then  entered  the  mercantile 
business  at  Charleroi,  Washington  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania,  which  he  conducted 
successfully  for  six  years,  at  the  expira- 
tion of  which  time  he  disposed  of  the 
same  and  entered  the  banking  business 
as  assistant  cashier  in  the  Citizens'  Bank 
of  Fayette  City,  Pennsylvania,  remaining 
there  from  1903  to  1907,  when  he  was 
elected  assistant  treasurer  of  the  Valley 
Deposit  and  Trust  Company  of  Belle  Ver- 
non, Pennsylvania,  where  he  remained 
from  1907  to  191 1,  when  he  was  elected 
cashier  of  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Irwin,  Pennsylvania,  in  February,  in 
which  capacity  he  is  still  serving.  The 
officers  of  the  bank  are  as  follows :  R.  P. 
McClellen,  president ;  G.  W.  Flowers, 
vice-president;  John  B.  Cunningham, 
cashier.    The  bank  was  organized  in  1892, 


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Ex\'CYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


and  at  the  present  time  (1914)  its  re- 
sources are  over  seven  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand  dollars.  Mr.  Cunningham  is  a 
member  and  trustee  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  of  Irwin,  a  member  of  Charleroi 
Lodge,  No.  615,  Free  and  Accepted  Ma- 
sons, and  of  the  Royal  Arcanum,  and  a 
Republican  in  politics. 

Mr.  Cunningham  married,  June  i,  1898, 
in  Jefferson  township,  Fayette  county, 
Pennsylvania,  Gertrude  Steele,  daughter 
of  Harvey  Steele,  of  Fayette  county.  Chil- 
dren:  Ruth,  born  November  30,  1899; 
Margaret,  born  November  15,  1902; 
Nelle,  born  November  3,  1906.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Cunningham  take  an  active  interest 
in  everything  that  pertains  to  the  general 
welfare  of  the  community,  and  their  in- 
fluence is  widefelt  and  beneficial. 


BUCHER,  John  R., 

Prominent  Manufacturer  and  Financier. 

Activity  to  an  unusual  degree  in  the  in- 
dustrial, manufacturing,  and  business  life 
of  Columbia  and  Lancaster  counties, 
Pennsylvania,  coupled  with  prominence 
in  the  councils  of  the  Democratic  party 
and  close  identification  with  fraternal  or- 
ganizations, makes  John  R.  Bucher  one 
of  the  leading  and  influential  citizens  of 
Columbia.  Though  Mr.  Bucher's  inter- 
ests, financial  and  official,  are  in  many  of 
the  flourishing  industrial  concerns  of  the 
city  and  locality,  he  is  most  closely  con- 
nected with  the  Columbia  Baking  and 
Manufacturing  Company.  One  of  the 
organizers  of  the  original  company,  he 
was  retained  as  active  manager  when  the 
control  of  the  plant  was  taken  over  by 
New  York  interests,  subsequently  be- 
came chief  owner,  successfully  weathered 
severe  loss  by  fire  in  1906,  and  now  directs 
its  large  and  profitable  business  as  presi- 
dent and  treasurer.  He  has  cooperated 
with  Philadelphia  capitalists  in  the  pro- 
motion of  industrial  projects  in  the  local- 


ity, and  independently  has  carried  to  suc- 
cessful conclusion  numerous  business 
enterprises.  He  is  widely  and  favorably 
known  in  the  vicinity  of  his  home,  and 
his  appointment,  on  February  15,  1914,  as 
postmaster  of  Columbia,  by  President 
Woodrow  Wilson,  met  with  the  heartiest 
of  approval  among  his  host  of  acquaint- 
ances. 

John  R.  Bucher  is  a  grandson  of  Chris- 
tian M.  Bucher,  born  November  28,  1815, 
died  at  Marietta,  Pennsylvania,  January 
28,  1881.  He  married,  at  Marietta,  April 
24,  1834,  Margaret  Hinkle,  born  July  I, 
1815,  like  her  husband  a  native  of  Mari- 
etta, died  January  9,  1895,  the  Rev.  H. 
B.  Schafifner,  pastor  of  the  German  Re- 
formed Church,  performing  the  ceremony. 
Christian  M.  Bucher  is  buried  with  his 
wife  in  the  family  lot  in  the  Marietta 
Cemetery.  Children :  George  William, 
of  whom  further;  Henry,  born  April  3, 
1837,  died  March  31,  1868;  Horace,  born 
October  12,  1838,  died  December  21, 
1903 ;  Elizabeth,  born  December  3,  1840, 
married  a  Mr.  Hippie,  deceased,  and  now 
lives  in  York,  Pennsylvania ;  Joseph,  born 
January  16,  1842,  died  July  6,  1842;  Chris- 
tian, born  April  27,  1843,  married  and  re- 
sides at  Kinderhook,  Pennsylvania ; 
David  H.,  born  January  25,  1846,  mar- 
ried and  resides  in  Philadelphia ;  Mar- 
garet, born  June  23,  1847,  died  January 
2,  1848;  Alonzo  S.,  born  August  28,  1848, 
died  March  31,  1849;  Augusta,  born  Janu- 
ary 23,  1850.  died  an  infant  of  eleven 
days ;  Emma  Frances,  born  January  8, 
1852,  died  September  12,  1852;  Ellwood 
P.,  born  September  17,  1854,  married  and 
resides  in  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania. 

George  William,  eldest  son  and  child 
of  Christian  M.  and  Margaret  (Hinkle) 
Bucher,  was  born  April  11,  1835,  and  died 
March  7,  1910.  He  was  for  two  years 
engaged  in  the  sawmill  business  in  Mari- 
etta, and  later  moved  with  his  family  to 
Thompsontown,  Juniata  county,  Pennsyl- 


2088 


a^  6^1^(9".^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


vania,  where  he  was  engaged  in  agricul- 
tural pursuits.  Subsequently  he  returned 
to  Marietta,  where  he  was  in  active 
charge  of  the  Heistand  Saw  and  Planing 
Mill,  which  he  managed  for  many  years. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Marietta  Coun- 
cil, prominent  in  all  public  matters  of 
local  importance,  and  was  an  officer  of 
the  Presbyterian  church.  His  fraternal 
organizations  were  the  Knights  of 
Pythias,  the  Order  of  United  American 
Mechanics,  and  the  Independent  Order  of 
Odd  Fellows,  in  the  last  named  fraternity 
belonging  to  Donegal  Lodge,  No.  129, 
and  Marietta  Encampment,  No.  86.  His 
political  party  was  the  Democratic,  which 
he  supported  faithfully  during  his  entire 
life.  George  W.  Bucher  was  esteemed  by 
his  fellows  for  his  many  commendable 
qualities,  which  found  expression  in  a 
life  well  and  usefully  passed.  He  mar- 
ried Elizabeth  A.  Reichard,  born  in  York 
county,  Pennsylvania,  May  2,  1830,  died 
at  Marietta,  Pennsylvania,  March  21, 
1910,  the  Rev.  Frederick  Vanderslute  per- 
forming the  ceremony,  December  27, 
1855.  She  was  the  second  daughter  of 
John  C.  Reichard,  who  came  from  Ger- 
many and  located  in  Shrewsbury,  York 
county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  reared  a 
family  of  nine  children.  George  William 
Bucher  and  his  wife,  Elizabeth,  are  buried 
in  the  Marietta  Cemetery,  Marietta, 
Pennsylvania.  They  were  the  parents  of : 
Amanda  A.,  born  November  5,  1856,  died 
September  5,  1857;  Emma  C,  born  in 
Wrightsville,  York  county,  Pennsylvania, 
March  14,  1859,  resides  on  the  homestead 
at  Marietta,  Pennsylvania,  unmarried, 
and  John  R.  Bucher. 

John  R.  Bucher,  only  son  and  youngest 
of  the  three  children  of  George  William 
and  Elizabeth  A.  (Reichard)  Bucher,  was 
born  at  Wrightsville,  York  county.  Penn- 
sylvania, January  4,  1861.  Until  he  was 
a  youth  of  sixteen  years  he  attended  the 
public  schools  of  Marietta,   whither  his 


parents  had  moved  but  a  short  time  after 
his  birth,  and  at  that  age  he  became  em- 
ployed under  his  father  in  the  Heistand 
Saw  and  Planing  Mill.  Four  years  after- 
ward he  went  west,  locating  in  Clinton, 
Iowa,  and  there  obtaining  employment  as 
a  filer  in  the  saw  mills  of  W.  J.  Young  & 
Company.  For  two  years  he  remained 
in  Clinton,  then  going  to  Dubuque,  Iowa, 
where  he  became  a  salesman  in  the  em- 
ploy of  A.  J.  Smiddel  &  Company.  This 
position  he  retained  for  but  one  year, 
when  he  returned  to  the  State  of  his 
birth,  in  Columbia,  accepting  a  position 
as  salesman  for  the  firm  of  W.  A.  King  & 
Company.  He  represented  this  concern 
in  the  eastern  and  central  states  until 
February  29,  1896,  when  he  and  others 
formed  the  Columbia  Baking  and  Manu- 
facturing Company,  and  purchased  the 
plant  of  W.  A.  King  &  Company.  ]\Ir. 
Bucher  managed  the  new  company  until 
1899,  when  the  entire  control  of  the  plant 
was  leased  to  the  National  Biscuit  Com- 
pany of  New  York.  The  new  owners  re- 
tained Mr.  Bucher's  services  as  manager 
for  five  years,  and  when  the  lease  held 
by  the  National  Biscuit  Company  expired 
he  purchased  all  of  the  outstanding  stock 
and  reorganized  the  company.  Its  suc- 
cessful course  was  interrupted  by  a  dis- 
astrous fire  on  Sunday  evening,  Decem- 
ber 23,  1906,  which  damaged  the  plant  to 
the  extent  of  $20,000.  only  partially  cov- 
ered by  $8,000  insurance,  and  which  en- 
tirely stopped  production.  That  a  greater 
loss  than  the  actual  ravages  of  the  flames 
was  not  suffered  by  the  company  was  due 
to  Mr.  Bucher's  quick  and  decisive  sav- 
ing action,  for  within  less  than  a  week  he 
had  installed  all  that  remained  of  the  ma- 
chinery in  that  portion  of  the  building, 
formerly  the  shipping  department,  that 
the  flames  had  not  destroyed  and  had  be- 
gun work  on  the  orders  at  hand.  The 
difference  between  the  former  production 
and  that  which  he  was  now  able  to  com- 


2089 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


mand  was  made  up  by  purchase  from 
bakeries  in  Harrisburg,  York,  Lancaster, 
and  Philadelphia,  so  that  the  company- 
suffered  no  loss  of  prestige  or  influence 
through  their  misfortune.  During  this 
period  John  F.  Sload  was  manager  of  the 
plant.  Early  in  1907  Mr.  Bucher  pur- 
chased the  building  adjoining  the  plant, 
and  at  the  same  time  caused  work  to  be 
begun  upon  the  large  and  modern  bakery 
that  is  now  the  home  of  the  company,  of 
which  he  is  the  present  president  and 
treasurer.  Eastern  Pennsylvania  and 
Maryland  form  the  company's  most 
profitable  field,  and  throughout  this  dis- 
trict it  bears  an  excellent  name  for  fair- 
ness and  honor  in  all  transactions. 

Mr.  Bucher's  interests  in  other  of  Co- 
lumbia's enterprises  are  many.  He 
bought  the  controlling  interest  in  the 
Fairview  Milling  Company,  of  Columbia, 
and  was  one  of  the  promoters,  with  rep- 
resentatives of  Philadelphia  capital,  of 
the  Eastern  Milling  and  Export  Com- 
pany, whose  offices  were  in  the  Bourse 
Building,  Philadelphia.  Mr.  Bucher  rep- 
resented this  company  as  manager  of  the 
Columbia  and  Fairview  Mill,  of  Colum- 
bia, and  the  Locher  Mill,  of  Lancaster, 
Pennsylvania.  He  was  also  one  of  the 
reorganizers  of  the  Columbia  Brewing 
Company  and  for  a  time  its  general  man- 
ager; led  in  the  organization  of  the  Eu- 
reka Box  Factory,  of  Columbia,  and  is 
secretary  and  treasurer  of  this  prosper- 
ous company ;  is  connected  with  the  Kee- 
ley  Stove  Company,  of  Columbia ;  for 
many  years  a  director  of  the  First  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Columbia;  and  in  1888 
was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Central 
National  Bank  of  Columbia,  of  which  he 
is  still  a  stockholder. 

Mr.  Bucher's  services  are  always  at  the 
disposal  of  his  fellows  if  the  object  of 
their  endeavors  is  the  advancement  and 
welfare  of  the  place  of  his  home.  Dur- 
ing the  Old  Home  Week  Celebration  at 


Columbia  in  October,  1913,  Mr.  Bucher 
was  chairman  of  the  Industrial  Commit- 
tee, and  through  his  devoted  efforts  con- 
tributed largely  to  the  success  of  that  fes- 
tival. In  fraternal  life  he  is  particularly 
prominent,  and  in  the  Masonic  order 
holds  high  rank.  He  is  a  member  of  As- 
harra  Lodge,  No.  398,  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons,  of  Marietta  ;  Corinthian  Chapter, 
No.  224,  Royal  Arch  Masons,  of  Colum- 
bia ;  past  eminent  commander  of  Cyrene 
Commandery,  No.  34,  Knights  Templar, 
of  Columbia ;  Lancaster  Lodge  of  Perfec- 
tion ;  Harrisburg  Consistory,  Red  Rose  of 
Constantine,  of  which  he  is  secretary ; 
Lancaster  Shrine  Club,  and  Rajah 
Temple,  of  Reading,  Pennsylvania,  of 
which  he  was  twice  elected  representa- 
tive to  the  Grand  Imperial  Council  of  the 
United  States.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows, 
belonging  to  Donegal  Lodge,  No.  129, 
and  Marietta  Encampment,  No.  86;  Sus- 
quehanna Aerie,  No.  293,  Fraternal  Order 
of  Eagles,  of  which  he  is  past  worthy 
president,  and  the  Columbia  Lodge, 
Loyal  Order  of  Moose. 

Always  a  staunch  Democrat,  Mr. 
Bucher  has  effectively  advanced  the  in- 
terests of  that  party  in  the  county  and 
State,  and  has  taken  leading  part  in  all 
political  activity.  He  has  been  a  dele- 
gate to  many  State  conventions  of  his 
party,  and  in  the  campaign  of  1912  and  at 
the  Baltimore  Convention  was  a  strenu- 
ous worker  for  the  Wilson  candidacy, 
acting  as  a  member  of  Mr.  Wilson's  offi- 
cial escort  through  the  State  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. He  is  a  member  of  the  Demo- 
cratic Club  of  Philadelphia.  On  Febru- 
ary 15,  1914,  Mr.  Bucher  received  the  ap- 
pointment as  postmaster  of  Columbia 
from  President  Wilson,  and  was  also 
prominently  named  for  the  office  of  rev- 
enue collector  for  the  Ninth  Revenue  Dis- 
trict of  Pennsylvania.  His  record  is  in 
itself  an  eloquent  one,  speaking  of  well 


2090 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


directed  energy,  foresight,  and  determi- 
nation, and  that  these  qualities  are  guided 
by  strict  integrity  and  uprightness  is 
shown  by  the  regard  in  which  he  is  held 
by  his  associates. 

John  R.  Bucher  married  Katherine 
Shuman,  born  in  Columbia,  June  ii,  1861, 
the  Rev.  George  Wells  Ely,  of  Colum- 
bia, performing  the  ceremony  February 
10,  1891.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bucher  journeyed 
in  the  South  for  six  weeks,  then  took  up 
their  residence  in  Altoona,  Pennsylvania, 
finally  returning  to  Columbia,  where  they 
have  since  resided. 

Katherine  (Shuman)  Bucher  is  a 
daughter  of  Michael  Strebig  Shuman,  a 
descendant  of  George  Shuman,  who  in 
1760  came  to  Pennsylvania  from  his  Ger- 
man home  and  settled  on  the  upper  end 
of  Turkey  Hill,  Manor  township,  Lan- 
caster county.  He  was  accompanied  by 
his  wife,  a  Miss  Manning,  and  after  her 
death  he  married  Catherine  PfeiiTer,  who 
died  in  1826.  He  was  the  father  of  Chris- 
tian, born  in  1777.  Elizabeth,  born  in 
1779 ;  Jacob,  of  whom  further ;  Mary,  born 
in  1784;  Frederick,  born  in  1786,  and 
George,  born  in  1788. 

Jacob,  son  of  George  Shuman,  the  im- 
migrant, was  born  in  Manor  township, 
Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1781, 
and  died  in  March,  1837.  He  followed 
the  trade  of  tailor  all  of  his  life,  and  was 
twice  married,  (first)  to  Mary  Witman, 
(second)  to  Margaret  Wisler.  The  parents 
of  Mary  Witman  were  the  owners  of  a 
farm  now  covered  by  the  city  of  Harris- 
burg.  Children  of  Jacob  Shuman's  first 
marriage :  George,  Jacob,  Daniel,  John, 
Katherine,  Henry,  Frederick  and  Michael 
Strebig,  of  whom  further.  Children  of 
his  second  marriage  :  Christian,  Andrew, 
Abraham,  Benjamin  and  William  C. 

Michael  Strebig  Shuman,  son  of  Jacob 
Shuman  and  his  first  wife,  Mary  Witman, 
was  born  September  16,  1825,  and  passed 
his  boyhood  on  a  farm.  He  was  a  youth 
of  but  seventeen  years  when  he  learned 
PA— Vol  vi_i7  209 


the  millwright's  trade,  in  1844,  beginning 
an  apprenticeship  at  the  trade  of  carpen- 
ter with  John  Young,  of  Columbia.  For 
twenty-three  years  he  followed  the  car- 
penter's trade,  in  1867  turning  his  atten- 
tion to  oil  refining  as  a  member  of  Tru- 
scott  &  Company,  and  remained  in  asso- 
ciation with  this  concern  for  eighteen 
years,  and  on  dissolution  of  this  firm  for 
a  short  time  conducted  a  milling  business. 
In  1858  he  engaged  in  the  fire  insurance 
business,  the  management  of  which  he  re- 
tained when  retiring  from  active  life  in 
1885.  This  he  still  conducts,  and  at  this 
time,  although  having  attained  the  ad- 
vanced age  of  eighty-nine  years,  retains 
an  active  interest  in  several  business  en- 
terprises. Columbia  has  been  his  home 
for  more  than  seventy  years,  and  in  its 
growth  and  development  he  has  borne  a 
worthy  part,  advocating  all  progressive 
and  modern  movements  and  lending  his 
services  in  many  capacities.  Among  the 
positions  that  he  has  worthily  filled  are 
those  of  councilman  and  school  director. 
He  is  a  member  of  lodge  and  encampment. 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and 
the  esteem  in  which  he  is  held  by  his  fra- 
ternity associates  is  shared  by  all  who 
know  him.  His  friends  in  Columbia  ex- 
tend to  all  circles  and  classes.  Michael  S. 
Shuman  married,  in  1857,  Margaret  Leh- 
man, and  has  children :  Mary,  deceased, 
married  Dr.  William  R.  Powell,  of  Cam- 
den, New  Jersey ;  Katherine,  of  previous 
mention,  married  John  R.  Bucher;  Anna, 
deceased ;  George,  deceased ;  Michael, 
married  Nellie  Spencer;  Jane,  married  E. 
G.  Smith,  of  Tampa,  Florida;  and  John, 
married  Lottie  Munroe. 

Children  of  John  R.  and  Katherine 
(Shuman)  Bucher:  May  Elizabeth,  born 
May  I,  1892,  died  July  15,  1892 ;  Margaret 
Shuman,  born  February  2,  1894,  lives  at 
home;  Elizabeth  Rose,  born  May  2,  1896, 
died  August  22,  1904;  and  Lillian  Kather- 
ine, born  December  15,  1900,  died  March 
7,  1906. 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


BUCHER,  William  L., 

Pharmacist,   Enterprising  Business  Man. 

Columbia,  Pennsylvania,  the  scene  of 
the  professional  activity  of  William  L. 
Bucher,  was  likewrise  the  place  of  labor  of 
his  honored  father,  Frederick  Bucher, 
who  founded  his  line  of  the  German  fam- 
ily in  Pennsylvania. 

Frederick  Bucher,  son  of  Joseph  M. 
and  Barbara  (Bernhauer)  Bucher,  was 
born  in  Deggingen,  Wurttemberg,  Ger- 
many, September  i8,  1830,  and  two  years 
after  attaining  manhood  came  to  the 
United  States,  soon  after  his  arrival  mak- 
ing his  home  in  Columbia,  Lancaster 
county,  Pennsylvania.  His  first  employ- 
ment was  in  the  hardware  store  of  Mr. 
Rumple,  and  he  afterward  entered  the 
service  of  Henry  Phaler,  with  whom  he 
was  associated  until  i860.  In  this  year 
he  formed  a  business  partnership  with  J. 
W.  Cottrell,  six  years  afterward  embark- 
ing independently  in  grocery  and  hard- 
ware dealings,  which  he  conducted  suc- 
cessfully for  more  than  twenty  years.  In 
1857  Mr.  Bucher  made  an  extended  trip 
throughout  the  South  and  West  for  the 
purpose  of  discovering  a  new  home,  but 
finding  no  location  that  suited  him  better 
as  a  permanent  place  of  residence  than 
Columbia  returned  to  his  home  and  there 
passed  his  remaining  years.  While  main- 
taining the  business  previously  men- 
tioned, Frederick  Bucher  conducted  im- 
portant dealings  in  real  estate,  and  under 
his  personal  supervision  many  residences 
were  erected  in  Columbia.  Among  the 
other  business  interests  that  he  contract- 
ed in  concerns  operating  in  the  locality 
of  his  home  were  membership  in  the 
board  of  directors  of  the  Keeley  Stove 
Company  and  the  treasurership  of  the 
Columbia  Laundry  and  Machine  Com- 
pany, both  of  Columbia.  He  was  a  busi- 
ness man,  keen  and  shrewd,  and  in  long 
continued  dealings  with  his  fellows  held 


closely  to  the  most  honorable  rules  of 
personal  and  business  conduct,  his  up- 
right life  winning  admiration  and  respect 
from  friends  and  associates.  Frederick 
Bucher  was  a  lifelong  Republican,  and 
was  called  to  the  service  of  Columbia  in 
1884  as  a  member  of  the  City  Council, 
the  following  year  becoming  president  of 
that  body.  In  fraternal  life  he  was  prom- 
inent and  popular,  in  1856  affiliating  with 
Susquehanna  Lodge,  No.  80,  Independent 
Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  passing  all  of  its 
chairs,  in  1874  becoming  a  member  of  the 
Artisans'  Order  of  Mutual  Protection, 
and  also  belonged  to  Lancaster  Lodge, 
Benevolent  and  Protective  Order  of  Elks. 
He  had  a  short  and  uneventful  military 
record,  on  September  13,  1863,  enlisting 
in  Company  A,  Second  Regiment  Penn- 
sylvania Volunteer  Infantry,  and  was 
mustered  out  of  the  service  on  Septem- 
ber 25,  1863. 

Frederick  Bucher  married,  in  i860, 
Louisa  Bartch,  daughter  of  Michael 
Bartch,  of  Chestnut  Hill,  Lancaster  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania,  and  had  issue:  Mary; 
Frederick  C,  married  Estelle  Brant; 
Emily,  married  Dr.  J.  W.  Grove ;  Wil- 
liam L.,  of  whom  further. 

William  L.  Bucher,  son  of  Frederick 
and  Louisa  (Bartch)  Bucher,  was  born  in 
Columbia,  Pennsylvania,  March  7,  1873, 
and  as  a  youth  attended  the  public 
schools  of  Columbia  entering,  upon 
reaching  his  decision  for  his  life  work, 
the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy. 
He  received  his  Graduate  of  Pharmacy 
from  this  institution  in  the  class  of  1894, 
and  since  that  date  has  been  proprietor 
of  a  pharmacy  in  Columbia,  at  one  time 
conducting  two  stores  in  this  place.  His 
present  business  is  confined  to  one  store, 
in  which  he  handles  the  well-known 
Rexall  preparations,  and  his  establish- 
ment, modern  in  every  particular  and 
splendidly  managed,  occupies  foremost 
place  among  Columbia's  pharmacies.     It 


2092 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


is  known  as  the  Central  Drug  Store,  and 
while  Mr.  Bucher  devotes  his  entire  time 
thereto,  sparing  nothing  to  add  to  its 
attractiveness  and  usefulness,  he  yet  finds 
time  to  serve  as  director  of  the  Keeley 
Stove  Company  and  of  the  Columbia 
Manufacturing  Company.  Mr.  Bucher  in 
1907  caused  to  be  erected  a  building  of 
modern  design  and  construction,  known 
as  the  Bucher  Building,  containing  within 
its  four  stories  offices,  stores,  and  lodge 
rooms,  which  is  the  finest  structure  of  its 
kind  in  Columbia.  Mr.  Bucher,  is,  like 
his  father,  widely  known  fraternally,  and 
in  the  Masonic  order  belongs  to  lodge, 
chapter,  commandery,  and  shrine,  also 
holding  membership  in  the  Artisans' 
Order  of  Mutual  Protection. 

Mr.  Bucher  married,  in  1906,  Emma 
Hess  Fry,  daughter  of  Phares  Fry,  a 
tobacco  dealer  and  cigar  manufacturer  of 
Lancaster,  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Bucher  are  the  parents  of  William  Lewis, 
born  July  16,  1909,  and  Mary  Louise, 
born  July  31,  1913. 


JONES,  J.  Arthur, 

Capable  Financier. 

John  W.  Jones,  father  of  J.  Arthur 
Jones,  a  prominent  citizen  of  Delta,  Penn- 
sylvania, where  he  is  well  known  and 
highly  respected,  is  a  native  of  Wales,  in 
which  country  he  was  reared  and  edu- 
cated, and  from  which  he  emigrated  in 
1864,  prior  to  his  marriage,  locating  in 
this  country  in  Lancaster  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, where  he  engaged  in  manufac- 
turing Peach  Bottom  Roofing  Plate,  con- 
tinuing the  same  up  to  the  present  time 
(1914),  in  which  he  has  achieved  a  large 
degree  of  success.  By  his  marriage  to 
Ellen  Jones,  a  native  of  Lancaster  county, 
Pennsylvania,  he  became  the  father  of 
eight  children,  the  third  in  order  of  birth 
being  J.  Arthur. 

J.  Arthur  Jones  was  born  in  Lancaster 


county,  Pennsylvania,  February  17,  1870. 
His  educational  advantages  were  ob- 
tained in  the  common  schools  of  York 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  from  the  time 
he  completed  his  studies  until  he  attained 
his  twentieth  year  he  worked  in  his 
father's  mine  in  Delta,  Pennsylvania.  He 
then  received  the  appointment  of  assist- 
ant cashier  in  the  Miles  National  Bank  at 
Delta,  and  served  from  1890  to  1894,  and 
in  the  latter  named  year,  through  the 
recommendation  of  the  National  Bank 
Examiner,  he  received  the  appointment 
of  bookkeeper,  with  the  First  National 
Bank,  Irwin,  Pennsylvania,  in  which 
capacity  he  served  from  1894  to  1899, 
when  he  became  assistant  cashier  of  the 
First  National  Bank  at  Jeannette,  which 
position  he  held  for  fifteen  months,  and 
in  1900,  upon  the  organization  of  the 
Citizens'  National  Bank  of  Irwin,  he  be- 
came its  cashier,  his  present  position. 
The  officers  of  the  bank  are  as  follows : 
John  M.  Lang,  president;  F.  A.  Farmer, 
vice-president;  J.  Arthur  Jones,  cashier. 
Its  total  resources  amount  to  over  seven 
hundred  thousand  dollars,  consisting  of 
loans  and  discounts,  bonds  and  securities, 
United  States  bonds  to  secure  circulation, 
United  States  bonds  to  secure  deposit, 
premiums  on  bonds,  bank  building  and 
fixtures,  cash  and  due  from  banks  and 
trust  companies,  five  per  cent,  redemption 
fund.  Its  capital  stock  is  fifty  thousand 
dollars ;  surplus,  one  hundred  thousand 
dollars ;  undivided  profits  over  sixteen 
thousand  dollars;  dividends  paid,  fifty- 
one  thousand  dollars.  Mr.  Jones  is  a 
member  and  trustee  of  the  First  Presby- 
terian Church,  of  Irwin ;  member  of  the 
Royal  Arcanum,  and  an  Independent  in 
politics. 

Mr.  Jones  married,  June  10,  1896,  in 
Delta,  Pennsylvania,  Catherine  Morris, 
born  at  Delta,  Pennsylvania,  in  1874, 
daughter  of  Robert  and  Anna  Morris. 
Three  children;     Wilbur,  born  in   1899; 


2093 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Morris,  born  in  1906;  James  Franklin, 
bom  in  1910.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jones  enjoy 
the  acquaintance  of  a  wide  circle  of 
friends  and  their  home  is  noted  for  the 
hospitality  dispensed  there. 


TROUT,  Harry  L., 

Enterprising  Citizen,  Public  Official. 

Business  interests  in  the  city  of  Lan- 
caster have  claimed  Harry  L.  Trout  for 
nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century,  and  during 
that  time  he  has  had  deep  interest  in  pub- 
lic and  political  affairs,  having  since  1889 
been  continuously  in  the  public  service. 
His  connection  with  the  business  life  of 
the  city  is  as  proprietor  of  a  large  book- 
binding establishment,  the  scope  of  which 
is  State-wide,  and  at  this  time  he  fills  the 
chair  of  chief  executive  of  Lancaster,  ap- 
pointed to  the  mayor's  ofifice  to  complete 
the  unexpired  term  of  Mayor  Frank  B. 
McClain,  present  Lieutenant-Governor  of 
the  State  of  Pennsylvania.  Mr.  Trout  is 
no  stranger  to  the  details  of  the  munici- 
pal administration,  having  come  to  his 
present  office  after  long  experience  in  its 
different  departments,  including  both 
houses  of  the  city  council. 

Mr.  Trout  is  a  descendant  of  Isaac 
Trout  and  his  wife,  Rachell  Ferree.  Isaac 
Trout  was  one  of  three  brothers  who 
came  to  this  country  from  their  German 
home.  The  line  continues  through  their 
son,  David,  who  married  Mary  Rutter, 
and  had  a  large  family :  Daniel,  born  May 
I,  1794;  Samuel,  October  12,  1801  ;  Eliza- 
beth, June  2,  1803;  Mary  Ann,  July  17, 
1805;  Joanna,  September  26,  1807;  Cath- 
arine, May  II,  1809;  David,  August  22, 
181 1 ;  Henry,  April  17,  1813;  John,  April 
5,  1816;  Margaret,  August  25,  1818; 
Adam  R.,  of  whom  further;  and  Hannah, 
born  December  12,  1823. 

Adam  Rutter,  father  of  Harry  L.  Trout, 
was  born  in  Paradise  township,  Lancas- 
ter county,   Pennsylvania,  July  6,    1820, 


son  of  David  and  Mary  (Rutter)  Trout. 
He  was  proprietor  of  the  Western  Hotel, 
formerly  a  prominent  hostelry  of  Lan- 
caster, and  until  his  death  in  1870  was 
well  and  favorably  known  throughout 
that  locality.  He  married  Salome  Le- 
fevre,  and  had  four  children :  Josephine, 
who  married  Andrew  G.  Frey,  of  Lancas- 
ter; Frank  B. ;  Harry  L.,  of  whom  fur- 
ther ;  Sue  Lefevre,  married  Abram  Hall, 
of  Canton,  Ohio. 

Harry  L.  Trout,  son  of  Adam  Rutter 
and  Salome  (Lefevre)  Trout,  was  born  in 
Lancaster,  Lancaster  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, October  28,  1853.  After  complet- 
ing a  course  of  study  in  the  public 
schools,  as  a  youth  of  seventeen  years  he 
went  to  Philadelphia,  there  obtaining  em- 
ployment in  a  queensware  establishment 
and  remaining  in  that  city  for  three  years. 
Returning  to  his  birthplace  he  served  a 
four  years'  apprenticeship  in  a  book- 
bindery,  and  after  mastering  the  art  of 
bookbinding  in  1881  established  in  that 
business  in  Centre  Square,  Lancaster. 
With  the  passing  years  the  pressure  of 
ever  increasing  business  necessitated 
moving  to  more  spacious  quarters,  and 
he  occupied  a  location  on  North  Chris- 
tian street.  This  is  the  present  home  of 
his  plant,  whose  extensive  operations 
reach  to  the  limits  of  the  State  and  which 
is  numbered  among  the  substantial  and 
prosperous  concerns  of  the  city. 

All  of  his  mature  life  Mr.  Trout  has 
been  a  believer  in  Republican  principles 
and  a  staunch  supporter  of  that  party. 
His  loyalty  to  party  interests  and  the 
willingness  of  his  service  won  him  early 
admission  to  party  councils,  and  he  be- 
came a  frequent  delegate  to  county  and 
State  conventions.  Becoming  a  candi- 
date for  common  council  from  the  Fifth 
Ward,  Mr.  Trout  in  1889  was  chosen  as 
the  representative  of  that  district  in  the 
lower  branch  of  the  city's  lawmaking 
body,  occupying  his  seat  through  reelec- 


2094 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


tion  for  several  terms  and  in  1893-94-95- 
96,  serving  as  president  of  common  coun- 
cil. In  1897  he  was  elected  to  select 
council,  in  1899  resigning  from  his  mem- 
bership to  accept  the  post  of  clerk  of  the 
court  of  sessions,  which  he  held  during 
1900,  1901  and  1902.  A  vacancy  being 
caused  in  select  council  by  the  death  of 
Dr.  S.  T.  Davis,  Mr.  Trout  was  appointed 
to  act  during  the  remainder  of  the  term, 
and  was  returned  in  his  own  right  the  fol- 
lowing year.  He  continued  in  select 
council  until  1909,  when  he  received  the 
appointment  to  the  postmastership  of 
Lancaster  from  President  Taft,  an  office 
from  which  he  retired  on  November  21, 
191 3,  after  an  able  and  satisfactory  ad- 
ministration. When  Mayor  McClain  was 
forced  to  resign  from  the  office  of  mayor 
of  the  city  to  assume  the  duties  of  Lieu- 
tenant-Governor, the  choice  of  council 
for  his  successor  fell  upon  Mr.  Trout, 
who  in  January  6,  1915,  undertook  the 
duties  of  that  high  office  for  the  final  year 
of  Mr.  McClain's  unexpired  term. 

Mr.  Trout  is  a  trustee  of  the  Thaddeus 
Stevens  Industrial  School,  holds  member- 
ship in  the  Hamilton  and  Republican 
clubs  of  Lancaster,  and  affiliates  with  the 
Masonic  order,  Lamberton  Lodge,  No. 
476,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons ;  the  In- 
dependent Order  of  Odd  Fellows ;  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  and  the  Benevolent 
and  Protective  Order  of  Elks.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  First  Presbyterian  Church. 

From  the  above  brief  narrative  it  is 
seen  that  more  frequently  than  not  the 
circumstances  of  Mr.  Trout's  entering 
public  position  have  been  in  times  of  im- 
mediate and  peculiar  need,  and  it  is  that 
fact  which  accurately  tells  of  his  qualities 
of  sterling  dependability,  his  faculty  of 
rapidly  acquainting  himself  with  the 
duties  and  requirements  of  a  new  posi- 
tion, and  his  fearlessness  in  risking  the 
censure  that  might  result  from  a  single 
error.    Lancaster  has  called  him  to  many 


and  important  missions,  has  received 
from  him  devoted  and  efficient  service, 
and  has  benefited  from  his  loyal  devo- 
tion to  her  best  interests. 

Mr.  Trout  married,  September  2,  1875, 
Sarah  E.  Colby,  daughter  of  Joseph  Y. 
Colby,  her  father  at  one  time  prominent 
in  cotton  manufacturing  in  Lancaster. 
They  are  the  parents  of  one  daughter, 
Maude,  who  married  James  W.  Harvey, 
an  attorney  of  Baltimore,  Maryland,  and 
has  two  children,  Sarah  C.  and  Jane  W. 
Harvey. 


LANG,  John  MUler, 

Honored  Citizen. 

John  Miller  Lang,  who  is  now  leading 
a  retired  life  at  his  home  in  Irwin,  located 
on  Main  street,  where  he  is  enjoying  to 
the  full  the  consciousness  of  a  life  well 
spent,  was  born  on  the  Lang  farm,  near 
Monroetown,  Allegheny  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, May  2,  1844. 

William  Lang,  grandfather  of  John  M. 
Lang,  was  a  descendant  of  a  Scotch  an- 
cestry, and  for  many  years  a  resident  of 
Allegheny  county,  Pennsylvania.  He 
married  and  reared  a  family  of  six  chil- 
dren, as  follows :  George,  John,  William, 
James,  Catherine  (Mrs.  Frank  McClure), 
Mary. 

John  Lang,  second  son  of  William 
Lang,  and  father  of  John  M.  Lang,  was 
born  on  the  Lang  farm,  near  Monroe- 
town,  Allegheny  county,  Pennsylvania- 
He  was  prominent  in  the  afifairs  of  the 
community  in  which  he  resided.  In  1850 
he  removed  to  McKeesport,  where  he  re- 
mained until  his  death,  1855,  and  where 
he  followed  his  trade  of  carpenter.  At 
the  age  of  about  twenty-two  he  married 
Margaret  Black,  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Mary  Black.  Children :  Henry  W.,  died 
December  26,  1903  ;  John  Miller,  of  whom 
further;  Mary  Ellen;  George. 

John    Miller   Lang  attended   the   com- 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


mon  schools  of  McKeesport,  whither  his 
parents  removed  when  he  was  six  years 
of  age,  also  those  in  Versailles  township. 
He  resided  near  McKeesport  until  seven- 
teen years  of  age,  when  he  moved  to  the 
Wallace  farm,  near  Trafford  City,  where 
he  farmed  continuously  for  thirteen 
years,  subsequently  retiring  from  active 
pursuits,  and  now  resides  on  Main  street, 
Irwin.  He  is  a  member  of  the  United 
Presbyterian  Church,  of  which  he  has 
been  a  trustee  several  times,  and  he  is  a 
Democrat  in  politics.  He  married,  Sep- 
tember 29,  1885,  Mary  Margaret  Wallace, 
born  November  i,  1836,  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam and  Margaret  (Mahaflfey)  Wallace. 
William  Wallace,  grandfather  of  Mary 
Margaret  (Wallace)  Lang,  came  from 
Ayrshire,  Scotland,  to  this  country,  set- 
tling in  North  Huntingdon  township, 
Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania,  on 
Old  Wall  Hill.  Here  he  discovered  he 
could  get  no  title  (papers  having  been 
destroyed  by  fire  in  Harrisburg)  and  re- 
moved to  the  present  Wallace  farm,  near 
Trafford  City,  on  the  line  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania railroad,  a  grant  for  which  he  re- 
ceived from  the  government.  He  was 
one  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  the  western 
part  of  the  State,  and  his  life  was  a  con- 
tinuous succession  of  exciting  skirmishes 
with  the  Indians.  He  was  a  famous  run- 
ner and  the  fleetest  runners  of  the  tribe 
were  sent  to  capture  and  torture  him  to 
death.  In  this,  however,  they  were  in- 
variably unsuccessful.  The  Duff  block- 
house, not  far  from  his  farm,  was  often 
his  refuge  when  in  trouble.  On  one  occa- 
sion, when  hunting  his  horses  which  had 
strayed,  he  was  surprised  by  the  Indians, 
cut  off  from  escape  by  any  means  than 
over  the  face  of  a  precipitous  bluff.  He 
hesitated  not  an  instant,  but  ran  straight 
to  the  edge  of  the  bluff  and  leaped  off. 
In  his  descent  he  grasped  the  top 
branches  of  a  sugar  tree  which  stood 
there,  thereby  breaking  his  fall  consider- 


ably, and  alighting  in  the  soft  mud  of  the 
creek  beneath,  from  which  he  extricated 
himself  with  difficulty.  He  arrived  at  the 
blockhouse  in  safety,  and  alluded  lightly 
to  the  adventure,  ignoring  the  idea  of  the 
tremendous  risk  he  had  taken.  Another 
time,  when  working  in  the  field,  with  a 
relative  named  Cousins  and  another  man, 
a  volley  from  the  woods  nearby  killed 
Mr.  Cousins  instantly,  but  Mr.  Wallace 
and  the  other  man  escaped.  The  mother 
of  Mr.  Cousins  was  a  sister  of  William 
Wallace,  who  had  married  in  Scotland. 
Another  sister  of  William  Wallace  mar- 
ried Alexander  Duff,  the  first  of  the  name 
here,  and  a  third  married  a  Mr.  Lusk,  be- 
coming the  grandmother  of  Alexander 
Duff,  of  Ardara,  on  the  maternal  side. 
Another  occasion  which  proved  the  per- 
sonal courage  of  William  Wallace  was 
when  the  settlers  in  the  vicinity  had  all 
their  horses  carried  off  by  the  Indians. 
A  party  was  formed  for  pursuit,  and  the 
trail,  leading  over  the  Wild  Cherry  Flats, 
was  easily  followed.  The  horses  were 
finally  discovered  tethered  in  a  hollow  on 
Simpson's  Run,  which  now  comes  into 
Brush  Creek  by  the  Carnegie  coke  ovens, 
near  Larimer.  No  one  would  venture 
down  the  hill  to  release  the  horses  until 
Mr.  Wallace  volunteered.  Gun  in  hand 
he  slid  cautiously  down  the  hill  until 
among  the  horses,  and  raising  himself 
slightly  as  he  approached  each  animal,  he 
severed  the  halter  strap  and  with  a  slap 
on  the  flank  started  him  for  home.  So  he 
proceeded  until  all  were  released,  when 
he  retired  as  cautiously  as  he  had  come 
and  the  party  made  off.  The  Indians 
were  doubtless  in  search  of  more  horses 
at  a  settlement  nearby. 

William  Wallace  married  Margaret 
Duff,  and  their  children  were :  John,  born 
May  7,  1790;  David,  May  3,  1792;  Samp- 
son, April  24,  1794;  William,  of  whom 
further;  James,  August  16,  1802;  Samuel, 
October  6,  1805.    William  Wallace,  father 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  these  children,  died  January  13,  1836, 
aged  eighty-four  years ;  his  wife,  Mar- 
garet (Duff)  Wallace,  died  December  26, 
1835,  aged  seventy-three  years. 

William  Wallace,  fourth  son  of  Wil- 
liam Wallace,  and  father  of  Mary  Mar- 
garet (Wallace)  Lang,  was  born  on  the 
Wallace  homestead,  October  2,  1800, 
where  he  lived  all  his  life,  and  died  May 
7,  1875.  He  married,  April  5,  1832,  Mar- 
garet Mahaffey,  born  May,  1800,  died 
January  9,  1878,  daughter  of  William  and 
Margery  (Foster)  Mahaffey,  of  McKees- 
port,  Pennsylvania.  Children :  Elizabeth, 
born  December  i,  1833;  Mary  Margaret, 
November  i,  1836,  aforementioned  as  the 
wife  of  John  Miller  Lang;  Jonathan, 
April  12,  1838;  Samuel  Alexander,  Janu- 
ary 2,  1840;  Joseph  Sampson,  December 
9,  1841 ;  Ann  Jane,  January  28,  1844. 


PARSONS,  Ellwood, 

Stannch  and  Trusted  Citizen. 

The  Parsons  family,  for  seven  genera- 
tions associated  with  the  affairs  of  Bucks 
and  Philadelphia  counties,  Pennsylvania, 
is  of  ancient  English  residence  and  is 
probably  of  Norman  origin,  tracing  to  the 
time  of  the  Crusaders,  the  early  form  of 
the  name  being  Pierreson,  son  of  Pierre. 
The  earliest  record  of  the  name  in  Eng- 
lish heraldry  is  in  the  "Visitation  to  Here- 
ford in  1286,"  when  Sir  John  Parsons,  of 
Cuddingham,  is  awarded  armorial  bear- 
ings comprising  a  leopard's  head  between 
three  crosses,  indicating  that  the  original 
grantee  was  a  Crusader. 

Authentic  records  name  George  Par- 
sons, of  Middlezoy,  Somersetshire,  Eng- 
land, born  about  1540,  as  ancestor  of  Ell- 
wood Parsons,  of  this  chronicle.  George 
Parsons  was  the  father  of  a  son  John  and 
four  daughters.  Toward  the  close  of  the 
seventeenth  century  several  representa- 
tives of  the  Somersetshire  family  of  Par- 
sons,  who  had   become   converts  to   the 


faith  of  George  Fox,  found  their  way  to 
Pennsylvania,  among  them  a  John  Par- 
sons, great-grandson  of  George  Parsons, 
previously  mentioned,  grandson  of  John, 
and  son  of  John  Parsons,  and  with  him 
the  American  record  of  this  line  begins. 

John  Parsons,  the  American  ancestor  of 
the  branch  of  the  Parsons  family  claim- 
ing Ellwood  Parsons  as  member,  was 
born  at  Middlezoy,  Somersetshire,  Eng- 
land, about  1630,  and  in  early  manhood 
allied  himself  with  the  believers  in  the 
faith  of  George  Fox,  suffering  persecu- 
tion for  this  allegiance.  In  1670  he  was 
fined,  with  other  members  of  Middlezoy 
Meeting,  for  refusing  to  pay  tithes,  and 
five  years  afterward  was  placed  in  prison 
for  the  same  offence.  He  was  one  of  seven 
Quakers  imprisoned  for  holding  religious 
meetings  after  the  manner  of  their  faith, 
who  in  1684  addressed  an  eloquent  peti- 
tion to  the  judges  of  the  assizes,  com- 
plaining against  the  injustice  of  their  de- 
tension.  He  and  his  wife  Florence  signed 
a  certificate  for  their  son  John,  from  the 
Meeting  at  Middlezoy  to  Friends  in  Phil- 
adelphia dated  7  mo.  (September)  4,  1681. 
This  son  John  returned  to  Middlezoy  in 
1685,  married  Ann  Powell,  and  with  her, 
his  brother  Thomas  and  his  sister  Jane 
Tyler  and  her  family,  returned  to  Penn- 
sylvania in  the  same  year.  This  party 
was  accompanied  by  the  parents  of  John 
and  Thomas  Parsons,  John  and  Florence 
Parsons. 

Thomas,  son  of  John  and  Florence  Par- 
sons, of  Middlezoy,  Somersetshire,  and 
Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  was  born 
about  1663.  Like  his  father  he  was  a 
member  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  and  in 
1683  was  imprisoned,  with  others,  at 
Ilchester,  County  Somerset,  for  attending 
a  conventicle  held  at  Gregory-Stoke, 
where  the  Quarterly  Meeting  of  Friends 
was  usually  held.  He  married,  in  1685, 
Jeane  or  Jane  Culling,  daughter  of  John 
Culling,    of    Babcary    parish,    Somerset- 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


shire,  Ilchester  Meeting  of  Friends  con- 
senting to  their  marriage  July  29,  1685. 
Thomas  Parsons  must  have  made  imme- 
diate preparations  to  accompany  other 
members  of  his  family  to  Philadelphia, 
and  there,  with  his  wife,  witnessed  a  mar- 
riage at  the  Friends  Meeting  House  on 
April  8,  1686.  Many  of  the  early  settlers 
of  Philadelphia  found  it  impossible  to 
secure  house  accommodations  for  their 
families,  and  Thomas  Parsons  was  one 
of  those  who  for  a  time  dwelt  in  a  cave 
on  the  bank  of  the  Delaware,  near  the 
foot  of  Arch  street.  Thomas  Parsons  and 
his  brother  John  were  carpenters  and 
joiners,  and  owned  one  of  the  first  wind 
mills  "upon  the  Bank  before  the  front 
Lott  of  Joseph  Growden,"  which  they 
sold  to  Richard  Townsend,  who  on  Feb- 
ruary 22,  1689-90,  obtained  a  grant  of 
"one  hundred  foot  of  bank  before  the 
Proprietor's  son's  Lott  that  lies  on  the 
south  side  of  said  Growden's  Lott  to  sett 
the  Mill  upon."  Thomas  Parsons  resided 
for  a  time  on  land  he  owned  at  Third  and 
Walnut  streets.  Philadelphia,  afterward 
moving  to  Bucks  county,  Pennsylvania, 
where  both  he  and  his  brother  John  had 
land  grants,  with  allottments  of  Liberty 
lots  in  Philadelphia.  His  wife,  Jane  Cul- 
ling, died  in  Bucks  county,  and  he  again 
married  in  June,  1704,  at  Falls  Monthly 
Meeting,  his  second  wife  being  Mary 
Hinds.  Soon  afterward  he  settled  in  Ox- 
ford township,  near  Frankford,  Philadel- 
phia, where  he  owned  and  operated  a  mill 
for  a  number  of  years,  in  January,  1720, 
selling  it  to  Jacob  and  Isaac  Leech. 
Thomas  Parsons  was  also  the  owner  of 
five  hundred  acres  of  land  in  Salem  coun- 
ty, New  Jersey,  and  eight  hundred  acres 
on  Duck  creek,  Kent  county,  Delaware. 
He  died  at  his  home  in  Oxford  township, 
in  June,  1721. 

Thomas  (2),  son  of  Thomas  and  Jane 
(Culling)  Parsons,  was  born  in  Philadel- 
phia about  1688,  resided  in  the  vicinity  of 


his  birthplace  until  after  the  death  of  his 
father,  then  moved  to  Virginia.  He  was 
named  executor  of  his  father's  will,  but 
was  "absent"  at  the  time  of  its  proof,  June 
17,  1721.  By  the  terms  of  the  will  he  was 
devised  the  mill  property  in  Oxford  town- 
ship, but  his  father  conveyed  the  estate 
after  drawing  up  his  testament.  The 
three  children  of  Thomas  (2)  were  bap- 
tized at  Abington  Presbyterian  Church, 
the  last  one  on  September  8,  1722. 

Abraham,  son  of  Thomas  (2)  Parsons, 
was  baptized  at  Abington  Presbyterian 
Church,  March  5,  1720-21,  the  date  on 
which  his  elder  brother,  Isaac,  was  bap- 
tized. He  married  Joanna,  daughter  of 
James  and  Margaret  Ayres,  of  Lower 
Dublin  township,  Philadelphia  county, 
and  became  the  owner  of  a  farm  in  that 
township,  part  of  the  estate  of  his  father- 
in-law,  James  Ayres.  Abraham  Parsons 
died  in  December,  1768,  his  widow  sur- 
viving him  to  February,  1779. 

Isaac,  son  of  Abraham  and  Joanna 
(Ayres)  Parsons,  was  born  in  Lower 
Dublin  township,  Philadelphia  county, 
November  12,  1748,  died  September  26, 
1818.  Soon  after  arriving  at  man's  estate 
he  located  in  Bristol  township,  Bucks 
county,  in  1781  moving  to  Falls  township, 
in  the  same  county,  and  in  the  latter  place 
passing  the  remaining  years  of  his  life. 
He  was  a  member  of  St.  James'  Protes- 
tant Episcopal  Church,  of  Bristol,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  he  and  his  second  wife  are 
buried  under  the  present  church  edifice. 
Isaac  Parsons  married  (first)  in  1777, 
Anstrus  Shadowell,  who  bore  him  five 
children;  (second)  about  1791,  Elizabeth 
Brodnax,  born  May  20,  1755,  died  June 
15,  1827,  who  bore  him  two  children. 
Elizabeth  was  a  daughter  of  Robert 
Brodnax,  born  about  1700,  a  scrivener 
who  did  considerable  public  work  in 
Lower  Bucks  county,  writing  many  wills 
and  deeds  and  other  documents.  Robert 
Brodnax  is  said  to  have  come  to  Bucks 


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ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAI'HY 


county  from  Henrico  county,  Virginia, 
where  John  Brodnax  had  settled  in  1686 
and  where  he  died  in  1719,  leaving  a  will 
of  which  his  son  Robert,  a  minor  slightly 
under  legal  age,  was  named  executor. 
From  this  John  Brodnax,  of  Virginia,  the 
family  line  is  traced  nine  generations  in 
an  unbroken  line  to  Robert  Brodnax  and 
his  wife,  Alicia  Scappe,  of  Burmarsh  and 
Godmersheim,  County  Kent,  England,  in 
the  first  quarter  of  the  fifteenth  century. 
Robert  Brodnax  married,  October  9,  1734, 
Christiana  Keen,  daughter  of  Jonas  and 
Frances  (Walker)  Keen,  and  resided  in 
Bensalem  township,  Bucks  county,  where 
he  died  about  1784.  Christiana  Keen  was 
a  lineal  descendant  of  Joran  Kyn,  who 
came  to  Pennsylvania  with  Governor 
John  Printz  in  the  ship  "Kama,"  which 
sailed  from  Stockholm,  Sweden,  August 
16,  1642. 

Isaac  (2),  son  of  Isaac  and  Elizabeth 
(  Brodnax)  Parsons,  was  born  in  Falls 
township,  Bucks  county,  Pennsylvania, 
July  3,  1794,  and  died  there  August  21, 
1851.  He  inherited  the  old  homestead 
and  lived  thereon  during  the  greater  part 
of  his  life,  engaging  for  a  brief  period  in 
mercantile  trade.  He  married,  April  5, 
1821,  Lydia  Ann  Anderson,  who  was  born 
near  Trenton.  New  Jersey,  July  18,  1801, 
died  July  19,  1901,  having  attained  the 
great  age  of  one  hundred  years  and  one 
day,  daughter  of  Joseph  Anderson  and 
Sarah  (Norton)  Anderson,  and  a  descend- 
ant of  Jochem  Andriessen,  who  was  a  son 
of  Andries  Jochemsen  Van  Albade,  one 
of  the  earliest  settlers  of  New  Amster- 
dam (New  York).  Enoch  Anderson,  son 
of  Jochem  and  great-great-grandfather  of 
Lydia  Ann  (Anderson)  Parsons,  was 
born  in  New  York  in  1676  and  was  one 
of  the  chief  founders  of  Trenton,  New 
Jersey.  He  was  a  justice  of  the  peace 
and  of  the  courts  of  Burlington  county  as 
early  as  1709,  was  named  in  1698  as  trus- 
tee for  the  church  and  school  grounds  at 


Maidenhead,  and  was  later  trustee  of 
both  the  Lawrenceville  and  Ewing  Pres- 
byterian churches,  and  was  active  in  the 
founding  of  these  two  places  of  worship. 
He  lived  on  the  Assaupuk  creek,  within 
the  present  limits  of  the  city  of  Trenton, 
and  on  April  20,  1827,  gave  a  portion  of 
his  land,  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  square, 
in  "Trent-town,"  to  the  trustees  of  the 
Presbyterian  congregation,  others  con- 
tributing logs,  mortar,  and  labor  toward 
the  church  building,  which  was  long 
known  as  "The  Anderson  Meeting 
House,"  now  the  First  Presbyterian 
Church  of  Trenton,  New  Jersey.  His 
wife  was  Trintje  Op  Dyke,  of  Newtown, 
Long  Island,  a  granddaughter  of  Jansen 
Op  Dyke,  who  came  from  Holland  to  the 
New  Netherlands  prior  to  1653.  The 
Norton  family,  to  which  belonged  the 
wife  of  Joseph  Anderson,  had  members 
among  the  earliest  English  settlers  in 
New  Jersey. 

Ellwood  Parsons,  son  of  Isaac  and 
Lydia  Ann  (Anderson)  Parsons,  and 
member  of  the  seventh  American  genera- 
tion of  his  family,  was  born  in  Falls 
township,  Bucks  county,  Pennsylvania, 
April  5,  1822.  He  obtained  his  education 
in  the  Friends'  School  at  Fallsington  and 
in  a  boarding  school  at  Poughkeepsie, 
New  York,  and  from  the  time  he  left 
school  until  his  marriage  made  agricul- 
ture his  occupation.  Before  his  marriage, 
which  occurred  when  he  was  a  young 
man  of  twenty-nine  years,  he  purchased 
a  farm  in  Falls  township,  and  he  after- 
ward bought  another  of  two  hundred  and 
seventeen  acres  on  the  New  Jersey  side 
of  the  Delaware,  two  miles  below  Borden- 
town,  where  he  resided  for  nine  years. 
Then  returning  to  Bucks  county,  he  was 
for  three  years  engaged  in  the  lumber 
business  at  Morrisville,  in  partnership 
with  his  brothers-in-law,  Joseph  C.  and 
David  Taylor.  After  retiring  from  his 
lumber  operations  Mr.  Parsons  purchased 


2099 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


a  country  seat  near  Morrisville,  which  he 
made  his  home  until  his  death. 

He  held  several  important  positions  in 
connection  with  financial  and  industrial 
institutions,  and  from  1876  until  his  death 
was  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors 
of  the  Bucks  County  Contributionship  for 
Insuring  Homes  and  Other  Buildings 
from  Loss  by  Fire,  the  oldest  fire  insur- 
ance company  in  the  county.  Elected  a 
director  of  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Trenton,  New  Jersey,  in  January,  1868, 
he  "rendered  a  most  faithful  and  untiring 
service  there  until  his  death,"  a  period  of 
nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century,  being  elect- 
ed to  the  presidency  of  the  institution 
June  3,  1891.  He  was  for  many  years  a 
director  of  the  Trenton  City  Bridge  Com- 
pany, and  in  addition  to  his  official  duties 
discharged  the  obligations  of  numerous 
private  positions  of  trust. 

Ellwood  Parsons  died  October  13,  1891, 
and  is  buried  beside  his  wife,  in  the  fam- 
ily plot  in  the  Morrisville  Cemetery. 

He  married,  March  26,  1851,  Mercy 
Ann  Taylor,  born  July  14,  1824,  died  Oc- 
tober II,  1890,  daughter  of  William  and 
Mary  (Crozer)  Taylor,  the  former  a  de- 
scendant of  Robert  Taylor,  mariner,  a 
native  of  County  Wicklow,  who  retired 
from  the  pursuit  of  the  sea,  settled  in 
Philadelphia,  and  there  died  in  1798. 
Mary  Crozer  was  a  descendant  of  the 
Crozer  family,  who  occupied  for  several 
generations  the  old  Pennsbury  Manor 
house  and  plantation  which  had  been  the 
home  of  William  Penn.  Through  the 
Crozer  line,  Mercy  Ann  (Taylor)  Par- 
sons was  descended  from  Duncan  Wil- 
liamson, one  of  the  earliest  settlers  on 
the  Delaware  at  Dunk's  Ferry,  which 
took  its  name  from  him,  and  also  was  de- 
scended from  George  Brown,  who  was 
commissioned  a  justice  at  the  Falls  by 
Governor  Andros  in  1680,  as  well  as 
from  John  Sotcher  and  his  wife,  Mary 
Lofty,  who  came  from  England  with  Wil- 


liam Penn  in  1699  and  were  long  his  stew- 
ards at  Pennsbury  Manor.  Children  of 
Ellwood  and  Mercy  Ann  (Taylor)  Par- 
sons:  William  Taylor,  born  April  i,  1852, 
died  June  24,  1875 ;  Annie  Crozer,  born 
September  18,  1853,  died  February  9, 
1895,  married,  September  3,  1891,  Ed- 
ward C.  Williamson,  of  Falls  town.ship, 
Bucks  county;  Mary  Taylor,  born  June 
2,  1856,  died  April  25,  1909;  Lydia  An- 
derson, born  April  14,  1858,  died  August 
16,  1914,  married,  February  17,  1891, 
Henry  W.  Comfort  (q.  v.)  ;  George  Tay- 
lor, born  May  14,  1861,  met  his  death  by 
drowning,  December  13,  1869;  Rose,  born 
June  13,  1864,  died  September  20,  1864; 
Ella,  born  November  8,  1866,  a  resident 
of  Philadelphia  and  a  member  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Society,  Colonial  Dames  of 
America,  the  Genealogical  Society  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  the  Swedish  Colonial 
Society. 


COMFORT,  Henry  W., 

Fiuancier,  Enterprising  Citizen. 

The  association  of  the  family  of  Henry 
W.  Comfort,  a  prominent  and  active  busi- 
ness man  of  lower  Bucks  county,  with 
Bucks  county,  Pennsylvania,  dates  from 
the  landing  of  William  Penn;  Mr.  Com- 
fort's ancestry  tracing  to  "Welcome" 
passengers.  John  Comfort,  the  pater- 
nal great-great-great-great-grandfather  of 
Henry  W.  Comfort,  was  a  resident  of 
Flushing,  Long  Island,  in  1719,  when  he 
brought  a  certificate  to  Falls  Monthly 
Meeting  of  Friends  in  Bucks  county  and 
settled  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Dela- 
ware in  West  Jersey,  near  the  Falls.  He 
married,  August  6,  1720,  Mary  Wilson, 
daughter  oi  Stephen  Wilson,  another 
member  of  Falls  Monthly  Meeting,  resid- 
ing on  the  Jersey  side  of  the  Delaware, 
who  brought  a  certificate  from  Friends 
Meeting  in  Cumberland  county,  England, 
which  is  so  characteristic  of  the  quaint 
100 


^Tiypri/r-- 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


and  curious  epistles  of  the  time  that  it  is 
here  reproduced  in  full : 

Whereas,  Steeven  Wilson  of  Eglishfield  in  ye 
parish  of  Bugham  and  County  of  Cumberland 
haveing  a  purpose  in  his  mind  to  goe  to  Pensil- 
▼ania  to  settle  himself  there  in  some  employ- 
ment of  honest  labour  in  yt  Country : 

Therefore  this  is  to  certifye  and  also  to  satis- 
fye  ffriends  or  any  other  people  there  in  that 
Island  that  may  employe  ye  sd  Steeven  Wilson 
that  he  hath  not  come  away  or  left  his  owne 
Country  for  any  misdemeanor  or  miscarriage 
or  matter  of  dishonestye  of  any  kind  that  we 
knowe  of  never  since  he  owned  ye  Truth  but 
hath  walked  pretty  orderly  for  several  yeares 
amongst  us,  only  that  it  is  his  owne  free  will 
purpose  and  resolution  to  settle  himself  in  that 
plantation  being  a  single  man. 

In  1690,  Stephen  Wilson  was  one  of 
the  carpenters  in  charge  of  the  building 
of  the  meeting  house  at  Falls,  and  in 
1706  he  had  charge  of  the  construction 
of  the  Buckingham  Meeting  House,  dying 
in  March,  1707,  before  the  latter  edifice 
was  completed.  Stephen  Wilson  married, 
in  August,  1692,  Sarah  Baker,  born  at 
West  Darby,  Lancashire,  England,  Octo- 
ber 18,  1672,  daughter  of  Henry  Baker 
and  his  wife,  Margaret  Hardman.  Henry 
and  Margaret  (Hardman)  Baker,  with 
their  children,  came  to  Pennsylvania  in 
1684  and  settled  in  Bucks  county,  which 
Henry  Baker  represented  in  the  Provin- 
cial Assembly,  1685-1691,  and  again  in 
1698.  He  was  also  commissioned  one  of 
the  justices  of  the  Common  Pleas  and 
other  courts  of  Bucks  county,  January  2, 
1689-90,  and  served  until  his  death  in 
1701.  He  was  one  of  the  commissioners 
named  to  divide  the  county  into  town- 
ships, and  in  many  ways  was  prominent 
and  useful  in  the  aflfairs  of  the  infant 
colony  on  the  Delaware,  as  was  his  son- 
in-law,  Stephen  Wilson.  John  Comfort 
died  in  1729,  leaving  three  minor  chil- 
dren— Stephen,  Sarah,  and  Robert,  who 
were  taken  in  charge  by  the  Wrights- 
town  Monthly  Meeting. 


Stephen  Comfort,  eldest  son  of  John 
and  Mary  Comfort,  married,  August  25, 
1744,  Mercy  Croasdale,  born  in  Middle- 
town,  Bucks  county,  February  28,  1723- 
24,  and  settled  in  Middletown  township, 
where  he  died  in  1772.  Mercy  Croasdale 
was  a  daughter  of  Jeremiah  Croasdale, 
born  October  29,  1694,  died  1748,  and  his 
wife,  Grace  Heaton,  daughter  of  Robert 
Heaton  Jr.  and  his  wife,  Grace  Pearson, 
and  granddaughter  of  Robert  Heaton  and 
Alice,  his  wife,  from  Settle,  Yorkshire, 
who,  with  their  children,  including  Rob- 
ert, Jr.,  born  in  Yorkshire  in  1671,  crossed 
the  Atlantic  with  William  Penn  in  the 
"Welcome,"  arriving  in  the  Delaware 
river  October  27,  1682.  Both  Robert 
Heatons  were  among  the  largest  original 
landowners  in  Bucks  county,  holding  title 
to  several  large  tracts  in  and  adjoining 
Middletown.  Robert  Heaton  Jr.  was  a 
member  of  the  Provincial  Assembly, 
1709-1711,  and  was  otherwise  prominent 
in  public  afifairs.  Ezra  Croasdale,  the 
paternal  grandfather  of  Mercy  (Croas- 
dale) Comfort,  brought  a  certificate  from 
Brighouse  Monthly  Meeting  of  Friends 
in  Yorkshire  in  1683,  and  settled  in  Mid- 
dletown township,  where  he  married, 
April  6,  1687,  Ann  Peacock,  who  had  ar- 
rived in  the  "Shield,"  of  Stockton,  from 
Kirksdale,  Yorkshire,  in  October,  1684. 
Ezra  Croasdale  was  a  member  of  the 
Provincial  Assembly,  1706-1710,  and  filled 
a  number  of  other  important  public  posi- 
tions prior  to  his  death,  which  occurred 
June  18.  1740.  His  wife,  Ann,  died  De- 
cember 8,  1732. 

Ezra  Comfort,  son  of  Stephen  and 
Mercy  Comfort,  born  in  Middletown,  Au- 
gust II,  1747,  was  a  minister  of  the  Soci- 
ety of  Friends,  and  resided  for  a  time  in 
Bensalem  township,  Bucks  county,  and 
later  in  Plymouth  township,  Montgomery 
county,  where  he  died  January  15,  1820. 
He  married,  at  Buckingham,  Bucks  coun- 
ty, January  8,  1772,  Alice  Fell,  born  Sep- 

lOI 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


tember  3,  1754,  died  November  6,  1840. 
She  was  a  daughter  of  John  Fell,  born 
July  7,  1712,  died  November  20,  1762, 
near  Doylestown,  Bucks  county,  and  his 
wife,  Elizabeth  Watson,  born  February 
22,  1717-18,  died  March  12,  1812,  and 
granddaughter  of  Joseph  Fell,  born  at 
Longlands,  parish  of  Uldale,  County  Cum- 
berland, England,  died  in  Buckingham 
township,  Bucks  county,  Pennsylvania, 
June  9,  1748,  and  his  second  wife,  Eliza- 
beth Doyle,  daughter  of  Edward  Doyle, 
a  native  of  Ireland,  and  his  wife,  Rebecca, 
daughter  of  Rev.  Thomas  Dungan, 
founder  of  the  first  Baptist  church  in 
Bucks  county,  established  about  1688. 
Elizabeth  (Doyle)  Fell  was,  however,  an 
accepted  minister  of  the  Society  of 
Friends.  Joseph  Fell  was  for  a  number 
of  years  a  justice  of  the  courts  of  Bucks 
county,  and  a  member  of  the  Provincial 
Assembly,  1721-1725.  Elizabeth  (Wat- 
son) Fell  was  a  daughter  of  Dr.  John 
Watson,  a  prominent  resident  and  physi- 
cian of  Buckingham,  Bucks  county,  and 
his  wife,  Ann  Beale,  and  granddaughter 
of  Thomas  Watson,  who  came  from  High 
Moor,  County  Cumberland,  England,  in 
1701,  many  years  a  colonial  justice  and 
member  of  Provincial  Assembly,  and  his 
wife,  Elinor  Pierson.  Alice  (Fell)  Com- 
fort was  long  a  faithful  elder  of  the  Soci- 
ety of  Friends  and  her  worth  is  commend- 
ed in  a  memoir  in  "The  Friend,"  of  Janu- 
ary 2y,  1849.  She  died  November  6,  1840. 
Ezra  (2)  Comfort,  son  of  Ezra  and 
Alice,  born  April  18,  1777,  was  also  a 
minister  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  resid- 
ing in  Plymouth,  Montgomery  county, 
where  he  died  August  29,  1847.  He  mar- 
ried, October  16,  1800,  Margaret  Shoe- 
maker, born  February  9,  1782,  died  March 
31,  1873,  daughter  of  David  Shoemaker 
and  his  wife,  Jane  Roberts.  Margaret 
Shoemaker  was  a  descendant  of  George 
Shoemaker,  of  Kriegsheim,  Germany,  on 
the  upper  Rhine,  "two  hours  ride  from 


the  city  of  Worms,"  who  with  his  brother 
Peter  was  one  of  the  early  converts  to 
the  faith  of  George  Fox,  who  visited 
Kriegsheim  about  1660.  Both  Peter  and 
George  Shoemaker  suffered  persecution 
for  their  religious  faith  as  early  as  1663. 
George  Shoemaker  married  at  Heidel- 
berg, in  1662,  and  continued  to  reside  at 
Kriegsheim  until  1685,  where  eight  chil- 
dren were  born  to  him  and  his  wife  Sarah. 
In  1685  he  and  his  brother  Peter  decided 
to  immigrate  to  Pennsylvania,  where  Ger- 
mantown  had  already  been  laid  out  to 
the  thirteen  families  who  had  left  the 
same  German  locality  a  year  before. 
Peter  sailed  in  the  "Francis  and  Doro- 
thy," arriving  at  Germantown  on  Octo- 
ber 12,  1685,  taking  with  him  Sarah,  the 
eldest  daughter  of  his  brother  George, 
but  for  some  reason  George  and  his  wife, 
with  their  seven  other  children,  sailed 
several  months  later  in  the  ship  "Jeffer- 
ies."  This  ship  made  Philadelphia  port 
March  20,  1685-86,  but  George  Shoe- 
maker had  died  during  the  passage  and 
had  been  given  a  sea  burial.  His  widow 
a  year  later  purchased  two  hundred  acres 
of  land  at  the  present  site  of  Ogontz,  on 
the  old  York  road,  known  for  a  century 
and  more  as  Shoemakertown. 

George  Shoemaker,  eldest  son  of 
George  and  Sarah  Shoemaker,  born  at 
Kriegsheim  in  1663,  acquired  the  land  of 
his  mother  at  Shoemakertown,  Septem- 
ber 28,  1708,  and  becoming  owner  of  an 
additional  hundred  acres,  greatly  im- 
proved it  and  lived  thereon  until  his  death 
in  1740.  He  there  erected  and  operated 
a  tannery,  and  was  to  some  extent  identi- 
fied with  matters  of  public  interest,  being 
one  of  the  commissioners  appointed  by 
the  Pennsylvania  Assembly  to  lay  out 
the  York  road  from  Philadelphia  to  the 
Delaware  at  Reading's  Ferry  in  Solebury 
township  in  171 1.  George  Shoemaker 
married,  February  14,  1694-95,  Sarah 
Wall,  daughter  of  Richard  Wall  Jr.  and 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


his  wife  Rachel,  granddaughter  of  Rich- 
ard Wall  Sr.  and  his  wife,  Joane  Wheel, 
who  had  come  from  Gloucestershire, 
England,  in  1682,  bringing  a  certificate 
from  Friends  Meeting  at  Stoke's  Or- 
chard, County  Gloucester,  dated  4  mo. 
26,  1682,  which  was  accepted  by  Philadel- 
phia Monthly  Meeting  in  December, 
1682.  Richard  Wall  purchased  six  hun- 
dred acres  of  land,  including  part  of  the 
site  of  Shoemakertown,  and  his  house  in 
that  town  was  the  first  meeting  place  of 
the  Friends  who  later  organized  Abing- 
ton  Monthly  Meeting.  He  died  March 
26,  1698,  devising  his  whole  estate  to  his 
granddaughter,  Sarah  Shoemaker,  subject 
to  the  life  estate  of  his  wife,  Joane,  who 
died  February  2,  1701-02,  his  only  son, 
Richard  Jr.  having  died  April  8,  1689, 
leaving  as  his  only  child  Sarah,  the  wife 
of  George  Shoemaker. 

Jacob  Shoemaker,  third  son  of  George 
Shoemaker  and  Sarah  Wall,  was  born  at 
Shoemakertown,  now  Ogontz,  December 
16,  1703.  He  married  Margaret  Cunard. 
born  in  1708,  daughter  of  Matthias  and 
Barbara  (Tyson)  Cunard,  and  settled 
in  White  Marsh  township,  Philadel- 
phia, now  Montgomery  county.  "Thones 
Kunders"  (otherwise  Denis  Cunard), 
father  of  Matthias,  and  his  wife,  Ellen 
Streypers,  with  their  children,  consti- 
tuted one  of  the  thirteen  families  from 
Crefeld  and  Kriegsheim,  Germany,  who 
sailed  from  London  in  the  ship  "Con- 
cord," July  24,  and  arrived  in  Philadel- 
phia, October  6,  1683,  founding  the  first 
German  colony  in  America  at  German- 
town.  Denis  Cunard  was  born  at  Crefeld, 
on  the  borders  of  Holland,  in  1648,  and 
died  at  Germantown  in  1729.  Matthias, 
son  of  Denis  and  Ellen  Cunard,  was  born 
at  Crefeld,  January  25,  1679-80,  and  mar- 
ried, July  29,  1705,  Barbara,  daughter  of 
Cornelius  and  Margaret  Tyson,  who 
came  from  Crefeld  to  Germantown,  about 
1685.     Cornelius  was  born  in  Crefeld  in 

2 


1652,  and   died  in   Germantown,   May  9, 
1716. 

David  Shoemaker,  son  of  Jacob  and 
father  of  Margaret  (Shoemaker)  Com- 
fort, was  born  at  White  Marsh  in  1752, 
and  died  there  November  9,  1810.  He 
married,  at  Plymouth  Meeting,  Novem- 
ber 22,  1778,  Jane  Roberts,  born  May  i, 
1751,  died  October  11,  1821,  daughter  of 
John  Roberts,  of  Whitpain,  and  his  wife, 
Jane  Hank.  Jane  Roberts  was  of  Welsh 
descent,  a  great-granddaughter  of  Robert 
Cadwalader,  of  Wales,  who  came  to 
Pennsylvania  in  the  "Robert  and  Eliza- 
beth," in  1698,  with  his  wife  and  six  chil- 
dren, settling  at  Gwynedd,  where  the 
parents  died  a  few  years  later.  The  son, 
according  to  Welsh  custom,  took  the  sur- 
name Roberts.  John  Roberts,  son  of 
Robert  Cadwalader,  was  born  in  Wales 
about  1677,  died  in  Montgomery  town- 
ship in  1773.  He  married,  August  7, 
1706,  Elizabeth  Edwards,  also  of  Welsh 
ancestry,  and  they  were  the  parents  of 
John  Roberts,  of  Whitpain,  above  men- 
tioned, who  was  born  July  28,  1714,  and 
died  October  4,  1801.  He  married  (first) 
May  13,  1736,  Jane  Hank,  born  in  1714, 
died  in  1762. 

John  S.  Comfort,  son  of  Ezra  and  Mar- 
garet (Shoemaker)  Comfort,  was  born  in 
Plymouth  township.  May  26,  1810,  died 
in  Falls  township,  Bucks  county,  July  29, 
1891.  In  early  life  he  engaged  in  lime- 
burning,  erecting,  owning  and  operating 
kilns  on  the  line  of  the  Delaware  Division 
Canal  along  the  Delaware  river,  ten  miles 
south  of  Easton.  He  was  the  shipper  of 
the  first  boat  load  of  lime  carried  on  the 
new  canal,  and  for  a  number  of  years 
supplied  most  of  the  lime  used  by  the 
residents  of  lower  Bucks  county.  Sub- 
sequently he  undertook  lumber  deal- 
ings at  what  is  now  called  Thornhurst 
on  the  Lehigh  river,  and  in  1836  he  pur- 
chased the  farm  still  owned  and  resided 
on  by  the  family,  near  Fallsington,  Bucks 
103 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


county,  where  his  death  occurred.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors 
of  the  Bucks  County  Contributionship, 
and  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Tren- 
ton, New  Jersey ;  and  was  prominent  in 
the  Society  of  Friends.  John  S.  Com- 
fort married,  April  6,  1836,  Jane  Cooper 
Comfort,  born  June  2,  1813,  died  March 
31,  1881,  daughter  of  Jeremiah  Comfort, 
of  Byberry,  and  his  wife,  Sarah  Cooper. 

George  M.  Comfort,  son  of  John  S.  and 
Jane  Cooper  (Comfort)  Comfort,  was 
born  on  the  Falls  township  homestead, 
April  10,  1837,  succeeded  to  the  owner- 
ship of  the  estate,  and  there  died  May 
30,  1913.  His  life  comprised  activity  in 
many  lines,  and  he  was  respected  and 
honored  as  a  business  man  of  upright 
principles,  careful  and  conservative  in  all 
of  his  transactions.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  original  board  of  directors  of  the 
People's  National  Bank  of  Langhorne,  a 
director  of  the  First  National  Bank  of 
Trenton,  New  Jersey,  president  for  many 
years  of  the  Bucks  County  Contribution- 
ship,  the  oldest  fire  insurance  company 
in  Bucks  county,  and  held  numerous 
other  important  positions  of  weighty  re- 
sponsibility. Like  his  ancestors  for  sev- 
eral generations,  he  was  a  member  of  the 
Society  of  Friends,  and  was  ever  promi- 
nent in  church  affairs.  He  married,  Oc- 
tober 14,  1858,  a  distant  relative,  Ann 
Elizabeth,  born  July  21,  1837,  daughter  of 
Moses  and  Mercy  Comfort,  of  Penn's 
Manor.  Children :  Edward  C,  died  in 
childhood  ;  Henry  W.,  of  further  mention  ; 
William  S.,  died  in  childhood. 

Henry  W.,  second  son  of  George  M. 
and  Ann  Elizabeth  Comfort,  and  the 
only  child  to  survive  childhood,  was  born 
at  the  Comfort  homestead  in  Falls  town- 
ship, Bucks  county,  Pennsylvania,  Feb- 
ruary 27,  1863.  Three  generations  of  his 
family  in  direct  line  have  owned  and 
lived  on  the  old  farm,  situated  about  a 
mile  and  a  half  from  the  village  of  Fall- 

2 


sington,  and  from  an  early  age  Henry 
W.  Comfort  has  been  its  manager,  later 
its  owner.  An  interesting  feature  of  the 
farm  is  that  since  1847  it  has  been  one  of 
the  sources  of  milk  supply  for  the  city  of 
Trenton,  John  S.,  grandfather  of  Henry 
W.  Comfort,  first  establishing  a  dairy 
business  with  that  nearby  city.  In  addi- 
tion to  successfully  conducting  the  oper- 
ation of  this  farm  of  two  hundred  and 
twenty-five  acres  and  others,  Mr.  Com- 
fort has  long  been  a  prominent  figure  in 
the  business  life  of  his  community  and  of 
the  city  of  Trenton,  and  is  one  of  the  ac- 
tive, progressive  public  spirits  of  his 
neighborhood. 

Henry  W.  Comfort  spent  his  early  life 
in  acquiring  an  education  in  Friends 
schools,  and  as  a  young  man  he  became 
manager  of  the  homestead  acres.  As  he 
grew  in  years  he  widened  his  field  of 
operations,  has  acquired  large  business 
interests,  and  has  gained  high  repute  as 
executive  of  well  known  institutions  and 
corporations.  He  has  been  for  many 
years  president  of  the  John  L.  Murphy 
Publishing  Company,  is  president  and 
treasurer  of  the  International  Pottery 
Company,  of  Trenton,  is  a  director  of  the 
First  National  Bank,  of  Trenton,  presi- 
dent of  the  Yardley  National  Bank,  of 
Yardley,  vice-president  of  the  William  H. 
Moon  Nursery  Company,  vice-president 
of  the  Morrisville  Building  and  Loan 
Association ;  director  of  Bristol  Trust 
Company  ;  director  of  Bucks  County  Con- 
tributionship Insurance  Company,  and 
has  honorably  fulfilled  the  many  sacred 
private  trusts  committed  to  him  as  guar- 
dian, trustee  and  executor. 

His  private  interests  have  not  selfishly 
bound  him,  but  he  has  for  several  years 
been  a  member  of  the  board  of  managers 
of  the  Friends'  Asylum  for  the  Insane,  at 
Frankfort,  Pennsylvania,  president  of  the 
Fallsington  Library  Company,  and  is  in- 
terested in  all  that  tends  to  promote 
104 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


neighborhood  interests.  His  life  has  been 
an  active,  useful  one,  and  in  all  that 
makes  for  good  citizenship  Mr.  Comfort 
is  preeminent. 

He  married  (first)  November  13,  1884, 
Edith  De  Cou,  born  October  28,  i860, 
died  January  6,  1888,  daughter  of  Samuel 
Ellis  and  Sarah  B.  De  Cou,  of  Trenton, 
New  Jersey,  and  (second)  on  February 
17,  1891,  Lydia  A.  Parsons,  born  April 
14,  1858,  died  August  16,  1914,  daughter 
of  EUwood  Parsons,  of  Falls  tow^nship, 
and  his  wife,  Mercy  Ann  Taylor. 


BURPEE,  Washington  Atlee, 

Founder  of  Important  Seed  House. 

The  name  Burpee  is  a  widely  known  one, 
perhaps  there  is  no  quarter  of  the  world 
where  flowers  and  vegetables  are  grown 
that  "Burpee's  Catalogue  of  Seeds"  is  not 
a  visitor.  It  is  a  matter  of  pride  that 
Philadelphia  is  the  home  of  the  largest 
mail  order  seed  house  in  the  world.  Its 
founder  was  an  American,  although  born 
in  Canada,  and  was  a  grandson  of  Dr. 
Washington  L.  Atlee,  of  Philadelphia. 

Mr.  Burpee  in  truth  developed  a  won- 
derful business,  and  one  that  from  its 
inception  to  its  present  magnitude  is  the 
child  of  his  own  genius.  Distinctively  a 
mail  order  house,  its  offerings  each  season 
are  presented  to  the  world  through  the 
medium  of  a  finely  illustrated  catalogue 
— the  "Burpee's  Annual."  The  products 
of  three  large  farms  owned  by  W.  Atlee 
Burpee  &  Company  furnish  but  a  small 
part  of  the  seeds  sold,  but  the  same 
standard  of  quality  is  observed  as  though 
all  were  grown  on  the  Burpee  farms. 
This  method  of  maintaining  quality  is 
one  of  the  interesting  features  of  the 
business,  as  is  the  packing  and  shipping 
system,  that  cares  for  thousands  of 
orders  daily,  the  system  of  sorting  and 
opening  mail,  the  printing  department;  in 
fact,  a  visit  to  the  Burpee  plant  on  North 

2 


Fifth  street  is  full  of  interest  at  every 
point.  While  Mr.  Burpee  was  proud  of 
his  business,  Philadelphia  was  proud  of 
Mr.  Burpee,  for  in  his  treatment  of  em- 
ployees he  has  shown  to  employers  that 
quality  of  product  depends  on  the  quality 
of  employes.  This  homely  truth  has  been 
so  little  understood  in  the  past  that  Mr. 
Burpee  and  other  employers,  pioneers  in 
the  field  of  improving  the  working  condi- 
tions of  employes,  have  had  to  face  the 
criticism  of  the  less  progressive  and  more 
narrow-minded.  The  Burpee  people  have 
rest  rooms  with  easy  chairs,  lounges, 
tables,  newspapers  and  magazines,  smok- 
ing rooms  for  the  men,  a  light,  airy  dining 
room  for  women,  with  food  and  service 
at  cost,  umbrellas  for  use  in  case  of  storm, 
and  nothing  has  been  overlooked  that 
tends  to  the  comfort,  convenience,  and 
welfare  of  those  connected  with  the  Bur- 
pee plant.  This  insures  a  corps  of  loyal, 
efficient,  workers,  who  guarantee  cus- 
tomers immunity  from  careless  packing, 
shipping,  or  delay.  System  is  the  key- 
note of  the  establishment,  one  result  be- 
ing that  an  order  rarely  remains  unfilled 
for  more  than  twenty-four  hours.  That 
such  a  business  has  been  built  by  one 
man's  force,  determination,  and  genius 
in  the  short  space  of  forty  years  seems 
little  short  of  marvelous. 

Could  one  add  to  his  idea  of  the  activity 
of  the  Philadelphia  house  a  view  of  Ford- 
hook  farms  in  Pennsylvania,  Sunnybrook 
farm  in  New  Jersey,  and  Floradale  farm 
in  California,  and  a  view  of  the  hundreds 
of  farms  elsewhere  that  produce  Burpee 
seeds,  then  indeed  would  he  gain  some 
faint  conception  of  the  work  that  has  been 
accomplished  by  the  head  of  "the  largest 
mail  order  seed  house  in  the  world." 
When  one  ceases  to  marvel  at  the  seed 
production  the  next  cause  for  wonder  is 
the  manner  in  which  such  an  immense 
number  can  be  sold.  Remembering  the 
more  than  a  million  "Silent  Salesman" 
105 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


over  which  millions  of  men,  women,  and 
children  pore,  the  thousands  of  daily 
orders  are  explained.  Truly  a  wonderful 
business,  wonderful  in  its  scope  and  mag- 
nitude, wonderful  in  its  systematic  de- 
velopment, yet  even  more  interesting 
than  the  business  is  the  man  who  con- 
ceived and  developed  it. 

Washington  Atlee  Burpee  was  born  in 
Sheffield,  New  Brunswick,  Canada,  April 
5,  1858,  son  of  David  and  Anne  C.  (Atlee) 
Burpee,  and  maternal  grandson  of  Dr. 
Washington  L.  Atlee,  of  Philadelphia. 
He  became  a  Philadelphian  in  early  life, 
his  parents  changing  their  residence  dur- 
ing his  boyhood.  He  obtained  his  pre- 
paratory education  at  the  Friends'  Central 
School,  and  then  studied  for  two  years  at 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  class  of 
1878.  He  became  interested  in  the  seed 
business  in  1876,  and  for  two  years  was 
associated  with  partners.  In  1878  he 
severed  the  connection  and  established  a 
separate  business  under  the  name  W. 
Atlee  Burpee  &  Company.  Beginning 
modestly,  the  business  has  expanded  until 
Burpee's  seeds  are  sought  for  in  every 
State  in  the  Union  and  every  country  on 
the  globe  where  they  can  be  used.  The 
three  farms  "Fordhook"  (Pennsylvania), 
"Sunnybrook"  (New  Jersey),  and  "Flora- 
dale"  (California),  are  part  of  the  great 
business  centered  in  Philadelphia,  the 
first  named  being  Mr.  Burpee's  residence. 
During  his  forty  years  in  the  seed  busi- 
ness, Mr.  Burpee  gained  not  only  a  na- 
tional and  international  acquaintance 
with  buyers,  but  became  prominent 
among  growers,  florists,  and  dealers.  He 
was  an  ex-president  of  the  American  Seed 
Trade  Association,  ex-president  of  the 
American  Sweet  Pea  Association,  vice- 
president  of  the  National  Sweet  Pea  As- 
sociation of  Great  Britain,  a  director  of 
the  Wholesale  Seedsmen's  League,  mem- 
ber of  the  Societe  d'Horticulture  de 
France,  member  of  the  executive  board 


of  the  National  Farm  School,  and  life 
member  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  So- 
ciety of  Great  Britain. 

The  development  of  so  vast  a  business 
has  naturally  demanded  the  full  attention 
of  its  owner,  but  Mr.  Burpee  likewise 
served  as  a  director  of  the  Market  Street 
National  Bank,  the  Northern  Trust  Com- 
pany, the  Colgate  Company,  and  was  a 
member  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
and  of  the  Philadelphia  Board  of  Trade. 
He  was  a  trustee  of  the  Howard  Hos- 
pital and  Sanitarium  Association  of  Phil- 
adelphia, director  and  ex-president  of  the 
Canadian  Society  of  Philadelphia,  and  in 
politics  supported  the  principles  of  the 
Republican  party.  His  clubs  were  the 
Union  League,  Art,  University,  City, 
Racquet,  Bachelors'  Barge,  Poor  Richard, 
and  Harris  Club,  all  of  Philadelphia,  the 
National  Arts  and  City,  of  New  York, 
the  Merion  Cricket  and  the  Lansdowne 
Country  clubs. 

Mr.  Burpee  married,  in  Philadelphia, 
in  1892,  Blanche,  daughter  of  George  W. 
Simmons.  Children :  David,  Washing- 
ton Atlee  (2),  and  Stuart  Alexander. 
Although  yet  in  the  prime  of  life,  Mr. 
Burpee  died  at  Fordhook  Farms,  Novem- 
ber 26,  1915,  in  his  fifty-eighth  year.  With 
his  usual  foresight  he  had  provided  for 
the  continuance  of  the  great  seed  busi- 
ness by  his  sons  and  associates. 


BURPEE,  David, 

Head  of  Mammotli  Seed  Honse. 

One  of  the  fundamental  principles  to 
which  may  be  attributed  much  of  the  suc- 
cess of  W.  Atlee  Burpee,  was  his  ability 
to  not  only  produce  a  seed  from  a  seed, 
but  to  make  that  seed  retain  all  of  the 
excellent  qualities  of  the  original  seed 
from  which  it  had  sprung;  and,  in  like 
manner,  David  Burpee  has  inherited  the 
genius  of  his  father  in  a  degree  that 
leaves  no  room  for  doubting  the  wisdom 
106 


LW^u  J^^y^^^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  that  father,  who  in  his  will  chose  him, 
a  young  man,  to  guide  the  destinies  of 
W.  Atlee  Burpee  &  Company,  the  largest 
mail  order  seed  house  in  the  world.  The 
late  Elbert  Hubbard  wrote  in  March, 
1914: 

Once  in  a  while  you  hear  it  asked,  "what  will 
become  of  the  wonderful  business  when  Mr. 
Burpee  passes  out?"  The  fact  is  Burpee  is  big 
enough  not  only  to  evolve  wonderful  fruits,  flow- 
ers and  vegetables,  but  also  to  grow  a  very  fine 
product  in  the  way  of  men.  For  instance,  he  has 
two  sons, — David  and  Washington  Atlee  Burpee 
Jr. — who  are  in  the  Agricultural  Department  of 
Cornell  University.  These  boys  are  farmers  by 
prenatal  tendency.  But  aside  from  these  likely 
lads,  in  the  Burpee  business  are  upwards  of  two 
hundred  very  strong,  earnest,  intelligent  men 
and  women  who  have  grown  up  in  the  business, 
who  take  a  direct,  personal  interest  in  it,  and 
who  have  grown  as  the  business  has  grown. 

One  of  the  most  appreciable  benefac- 
tions to  be  placed  to  the  credit  of  W. 
Atlee  Burpee  (whose  life  story  is  on  pre- 
ceding pages  in  this  work),  was  the  care- 
ful training  of  his  eldest  son  David  (as 
well  as  his  second  son,  W.  Atlee  Burpee 
Jr.),  to  follow  in  his  footsteps,  that  they 
might  capably  continue  the  guidance  of 
the  business  with  the  same  honest  and 
liberal  policies  that  their  father  had 
always  so  strictly  adhered  to,  and  the 
name  of  Burpee  continue  a  monument  to 
the  achievement  of  genius  and  honest 
enterprise.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that 
David  Burpee  did  not  succeed  his  father 
in  business  as  a  mere  matter  of  natural 
legal  succession,  but  if  W.  Atlee  Burpee 
had  left  no  other  legacy  than  the  char- 
acter and  ability  of  his  successor,  he 
would  have  left  a  legacy  of  which  the 
generations  of  his  family  might  well  feel 
proud,  for  it  is  he  who  shall  continue  the 
life  of  useful  activity  begun  by  his  father, 
giving  the  world  the  benefit  in  an  educa- 
tional and  practical  sense.  He  is  un- 
assuming, with  all  the  vim  and  candor 
of  youth,  full  of  life  and  ambition.    David 

PEM-Vol  VI— 18  2 


Burpee's  strong  personality  radiates  a 
magnetism  that  unconsciously  wins  the 
confidence  and  esteem  of  all  with  whom 
he  comes  in  contact.  He  dreams  no 
dreams,  is  a  man  of  quick  decisions,  force- 
ful in  character,  and  in  his  life  of  training 
for  his  present  responsible  position,  to 
which  he  was  so  unexpectedly  called, 
has  always  met  unlooked  for  difficulties 
with  courage,  a  ready  smile  and  renewed 
hope  that  has  invariably  brought  eventual 
success  in  its  fullest  measure.  His  present 
attainments  would  be  creditable  to  a  man 
of  mature  years,  and  it  is  worthy  of  more 
than  passing  mention  that  at  a  period 
when  the  pleasures  of  life  are  most  allur- 
ing, he  was  not  willing  to  sacrifice 
valuable  time  to  their  pursuit,  but  instead 
devoted  himself  to  attaining  proficiency 
in  his  chosen  endeavor  and  life  work. 
He  is  not  only  a  close  student  of  horti- 
culture and  agriculture,  but  is  a  true 
devotee  of  the  science  of  those  arts  of 
peace,  and  to  his  technical  university 
training  has  added  by  the  practical  ex- 
perience afforded  by  the  extensive  Bur- 
pee farms.  On  succeeding  to  the  manage- 
ment of  W.  Atlee  &  Company  he  has  re- 
fused to  inaugurate  a  "new  personal 
policy,"  but  clings  closely  to  the  policies 
followed  by  his  splendid  father,  who 
always  possessed  and  cherished  the  un- 
failing respect  and  admiration  of  his  sons. 
The  house  of  Burpee  is  strictly  a  mail 
order  house,  and  secures  its  entire  busi- 
ness from  their  catalogue  which  they 
aptly  term  their  "Silent  Salesman."  To 
be  able  to  carry  on  a  business  of  such 
magnitude  through  the  aid  of  printed 
word  only,  requires  an  unusual  confidence 
in  the  firm,  which  they  have  long  since 
gained  and  maintained,  and  which  is  the 
foundation  of  their  successful  business. 
That  he  continues  and  will  continue  the 
well  known  and  highly  endorsed  policies 
of  the  house  fully  merits  David  Burpee 
the  praise  and  favorable  comment  that 
107 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


has  been  showered  upon  him  from  all 
parts  of  the  world,  immediately  following 
the  announcement  made  that  he  would 
succeed  to  the  management  of  the  great 
commercial  institution,  W.  Atlee  Burpee 
&  Company. 

David  Burpee  was  born  in  Philadelphia. 
April  5,  1893,  eldest  son  of  W.  Atlee  and 
Blanche  (Simmons)  Burpee,  and  grandson 
of  Dr.  David  and  Anne  Catherine  Burpee, 
of  English  and  French  ancestry.  He  was 
educated  in  the  Blight  School,  Philadel- 
phia ;  Doylestown  High  School ;  Culver 
Military  Academy,  and  the  Agricultural 
Department  of  Cornell  University.  Dur- 
ing the  years  devoted  to  acquiring  his 
education,  he  spent  a  great  deal  of  time 
on  the  Burpee  seed  farms  and  at  the 
Philadelphia  headquarters  of  \V.  Atlee 
Burpee  &  Company,  becoming  thoroughly 
familiar  with  every  detail  of  both  depart- 
ments of  the  great  business.  During  the 
last  years  of  his  father's  life  a  great  deal 
of  the  responsibility  of  management  fell 
upon  David  Burpee's  shoulders.  This, 
the  better  prepared  him  for  the  full  bur- 
den he  now  carries,  as  it  gave  him 
managerial  and  executive  experience 
while  guided  by  the  wisdom  of  his  hon- 
ored father.  That  Mr.  Burpee  possesses 
the  confidence  of  the  business  world  is 
further  evidenced  by  his  recent  election 
to  the  directorate  of  the  Market  Street 
National  Bank  of  Philadelphia,  to  fill  the 
vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of  W.  Atlee 
Burpee. 

Mr.  Burpee  is  a  member  of  the  Na- 
tional Sweet  Pea  Society  of  Great  Britain, 
the  Pennsylvania  Horticultural  Society, 
the  American  Genetic  Association,  the 
American  Sweet  Pea  Society,  life  member 
of  the  Society  of  American  Florists  and 
Ornamental  Horticulturists  ;  the  National 
Security  League,  and  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  of  the  United  States.  His 
clubs  are  the  Union  League  of  Philadel- 


phia, the  Sphinx  of  New  York  City,  the 
Harris,  City,  Merion  Cricket,  Golf,  Lans- 
downe  Country,  Poor  Richard  and  the 
Canadian  Society. 


BORIE,  Adolph  Edward, 

Cabinet  OfB.cer. 

Adolph  Edward  Borie  was  born  in 
Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  November  25, 
1809,  son  of  John  Joseph  and  Sophia 
(Beauveau)  Borie.  His  father  was  a 
Frenchman,  and  his  mother  belonged  to 
a  family  of  Huguenot  refugees  who  set- 
tled in  San  Domingo  and  afterward  re- 
moved to  Philadelphia,  where  John  J. 
Borie  was  a  merchant  and  where  he  mar- 
ried his  wife. 

Adolph  E.  Borie  attended  the  common 
schools  of  his  native  city,  and  then  enter- 
ed the  collegiate  department  of  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania,  from  which 
he  was  graduated  in  1825,  at  the  early 
age  of  sixteen  years.  He  then  went  to 
Europe,  where  he  studied  in  the  univer- 
sities of  France  and  Germany,  and  also 
travelled  considerably,  thus  adding  to  his 
store  of  knowledge  of  men  and  affairs, 
and  he  spent  two  years  in  that  manner. 
After  his  return  to  his  native  country  he 
entered  commercial  life  in  his  father's 
counting-room,  which  was  engaged  in  the 
Mexican  and  China  trade,  the  firm  name 
being  McKean,  Borie  &  Company,  and, 
on  his  father's  death,  he  became  head  of 
the  firm  and  eventually  acquired  a  large 
fortune.  He  was  president  of  the  Bank 
of  Commerce,  Philadelphia,  from  1848 
until  i860,  and  during  those  twelve  years 
the  institution  enjoyed  a  period  of  pros- 
perity and  increase  in  business.  Mr. 
Borie  was  a  staunch  Unionist  during  the 
Civil  War,  contributing  both  of  time  and 
money  to  the  enlistment  and  care  of 
volunteer  soldiers,  and  was  also  one  of 
the  organizers  and  vice-president  of  the 
108 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Union  Club  of  Philadelphia,  afterward 
the  Union  League  Club,  the  first  founded 
in  America.  On  March  5,  1869,  by  ap- 
pointment of  President  Grant,  Mr.  Borie 
became  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  but  re- 
signed after  three  months'  service,  owing 
to  the  demands  of  his  private  business, 
which  necessitated  his  personal  attention. 
He  was  succeeded  by  George  M.  Robe- 
son, June  25,  1869.  He  returned  to  Phil- 
adelphia, where  he  continued  to  reside 
thereafter,  though  he  formed  one  of  the 
party  that  accompanied  General  Grant  in 
his  tour  around  the  world,  which  began 
in  the  city  of  Philadelphia  in  1877.  He 
was  elected  a  trustee  of  Pennsylvania 
University  in  1858,  and  a  member  of  the 
American  Philosophical  Society  in  1872. 
Mr.  Borie  died  in  Philadelphia,  February 
5.  1880. 


BLACK,  Jeremiah  Sullivan, 

Lawyer,  Jurist,  Statesman. 

Jeremiah  Sullivan  Black  was  born  in 
the  Glades,  Somerset  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, January  10,  1810,  son  of  Henry 
and  Mary  (Sullivan)  Black,  and  grand- 
son of  James  and  Jane  (McDonough) 
Black.  His  father  was  a  representative 
in  the  Twenty-seventh  Congress,  and  died 
in  1841. 

Jeremiah  S.  Black  obtained  his  early 
education  under  that  admirably  practical 
academic  system  then  existing  in  Scotch- 
Irish  communities.  He  studied  classics 
and  mathematics  at  Brownsville,  Fayette 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  was  a  student 
at  law  under  Chauncey  Forward,  a  repre- 
sentative in  Congress.  He  was  admitted 
to  the  bar  in  1831,  and  in  1842  was  made 
President-Judge  of  the  Franklin,  Bedford 
and  Somerset  district.  In  185 1  he  became 
one  of  the  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  then  Chief  Justice 


of  the  State,  to  succeed  John  Bannister 
Gibson,  who  died  May  3,  1853.  His  de- 
cisions were  held  by  members  of  his 
profession  to  be  ornaments  to  the  reports, 
and  were  distinguished  by  virility  of 
style.  It  was  during  these  years  that  he 
delivered  his  masterly  eulogy  on  Andrew 
Jackson,  and  his  eloquent  forensic  address 
in  honor  of  the  memory  of  Judge  Gibson, 
in  which  the  following  sentence  blends 
modest  allusion  to  himself  and  high  praise 
of  his  predecessor.  "When,"  said  Judge 
Black,  "he  (Gibson)  was  superseded  by 
another  as  the  head  of  the  court,  his  great 
learning,  venerable  character  and  over- 
shadowing reputation,  still  made  him  the 
only  chief  whom  the  hearts  of  the  people 
would  know."  President  Buchanan  se- 
lected him  as  his  Attorney-General, 
March  5,  1857.  He  rendered  conspicu- 
ous service  while  in  this  office,  in  protect- 
ing settlers  under  the  government  patents 
in  California  against  fraudulent  land 
grants  purporting  to  be  of  Mexican 
origin.  When  General  Cass  resigned  his 
portfolio  of  Secretary  of  State  in  Decem- 
ber, i860,  President  Buchanan  appointed 
Judge  Black  to  that  position.  He  opposed 
the  secession  movement,  favored  the  re- 
inforcement of  Fort  Sumter,  declared  the 
Union  of  the  States  indestructible  and 
indissoluable,  and  so  instructed  the  rep- 
resentatives of  the  republics  abroad,  and 
vigorously  defended  the  just  powers  of 
the  general  government,  the  liberties  of 
the  people  and  the  life  of  the  nation.  His 
term  of  service  expired  with  the  adminis- 
tration of  Mr.  Buchanan,  and  he  returned 
to  the  practice  of  law.  He  remained  a 
staunch  Democrat,  but  was  held  in  re- 
spect as  a  statesman  and  patriot  by  every 
Republican.  He  was  frequently  called 
into  important  cases  as  counsel,  notably 
for  President  Andrew  Johnson  in  the 
impeachment  trial,  for  Samuel  J.  Tilden. 
109 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  Vanderbilt  will  case,  the  Milliken 
case,  and  the  McGarrahan  claims.  He 
was  a  man  of  devout  faith,  and  joined  the 
Disciples  of  Christ  ("Campbellites") 
about  the  time  he  married  Mary  P., 
daughter  of  Chauncey  Forward,  in  1838. 
He  occasionally  presided  at  the  political 
rallies  of  his  townsmen.  On  one  such 
occasion,  as  he  took  the  chair  he  said:  "I 
hardly  intended  to  be  here  to-night,  but 
I  saw  in  a  little  newspaper  that  Judge 
Black  would  now  have  to  show  his  hand 
in  this  campaign.  There  they  are — my 
hands — there  is  no  stain  on  them.  They 
never  held  a  bribe."  He  published,  in 
1882,  "Christian  Religion,"  a  reply  to 
certain  arguments  of  Robert  G.  IngersoU ; 
and  in  1885  a  volume  entitled  "Essays 
and  Speeches  of  J.  S.  Black"  was  issued. 
He  died  in  York,  Pennsylvania,  August 
19,  1883. 


DAHLGREN,  John  Adolph, 

Brilliant    Naval    Officer. 

Admiral  John  Adolph  Dahlgren  was 
born  in  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  No- 
vember 13,  1809;  son  of  Bernard  Ulric 
and  Martha  Rowan  (McConnell)  Dahl- 
gren. His  father  was  the  son  of  an  emi- 
nent Swedish  surgeon,  and  came  to 
America  in  1807,  landing  in  Philadelphia. 
He  at  once  applied  for  naturalization 
papers,  which  were  granted  in  1812,  be- 
came a  merchant,  and  was  made  Swedish 
and  Norwegian  consul ;  he  died  July  19, 
1824.  The  mother  was  a  member  of  a 
well-known  Philadelphia  family  and  died 
in  1838. 

John  A.  Dahlgren  obtained  an  appoint- 
ment in  the  United  States  navy  as  mid- 
shipman, February  i,  1826,  served  in  his 
first  cruise  on  the  United  States  frigate 
"Macedonian,"  and  was  attached  to  the 
"Ontario,"  of  the  Mediterranean  squad- 


ron, 1830-32.    In  1832  he  passed  an  exam- 
ination, and  by  reason  of  his  proficiency 
in    mathematics  was    detailed    for    duty 
under    Superintendent    Ferdinand    Ran- 
dolph Hassler  in  the  United  States  Coast 
Survey  Service.     He  was  commissioned 
lieutenant  in  1837,  and  was  by  advice  of 
Dr.    Sichel,    of    Paris,    given    leave    of 
absence.     He  spent  two  years  of  rest  on 
a  farm  to  recover  his  sight,  then  greatly 
impaired  by  reason  of  an  injury  to  the 
optic  nerve,  and  in  1840  returned  to  duty, 
his  eyesight  fully  restored.     In  1843  he 
sailed  to  the  Mediterranean  on  the  frigate 
"Cumberland,"  returning  late  in  1845  by 
reason  of  the  threatened  war  with  Mexico. 
He    was   assigned    to   ordnance   duty   at 
Washington  in   1847,    much  against    his 
wish,   as   his   inclination  was  for    active 
service  afloat.     His  progress  and  promo- 
tion was   rapid,  and   he  introduced    im- 
provements  and    innovations   that   made 
the  ordnance  department  of  the  United 
States  navy  the  most  efficient  and  formid- 
able in  the  world,  and  this  in  spite  of  de- 
termined opposition  from  older  ordnance 
officers.     He  continued  in  the  department 
for  sixteen  years,  reaching  the  position 
of   Chief  of    Ordnance.     The    Dahlgren 
shell    gun    and    its    accessories    was    the 
crowning   result   of   his    inventions,   and 
when  in  1861  the  Civil  War  put  it  to  the 
severest  test,  it  proved  the  wisdom  and 
forethought  of  its  inventor  and  projector. 
He  instituted  the  foundry  for  cannon,  the 
gun-carriage  ship,  and  the  experimental 
battery.      He   was   made   commander   in 
1855,  and  in  order  to  test  his  apparent 
innovations,  he  was  allowed  to  equip  the 
sloop-of-war  "Plymouth"  with  his  eleven- 
inch    guns   and   other   modern   ordnance 
considered  too  heavy  for  sea  service.     In 
1857  he  visited  the  European  coast  from 
Portugal    to    Holland,    and    in     1858-59 
cruised  in  the  West  Indies,  testing  the 
10 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


gun's  efificiency  and  adaptability  to  naval 
warfare.  In  the  Civil  War,  his  guns  and 
heavy  ammunition  quieted  the  "Merri- 
mac"  in  Hampton  Roads,  opened  the 
Mississippi  at  New  Orleans  and  Vicks- 
burg,  gave  Port  Royal  to  the  Union 
forces  as  a  naval  station,  sealed  Charles- 
ton, Wilmington  and  Savannah  to  block- 
ade runners,  captured  Mobile,  and  sunk 
the  "Alabama." 

In  1861  Commander  Dahlgren  was  at 
the  Washington  navy-yard,  and,  because 
of  the  disafifection  in  the  navy,  he  was  the 
senior  officer  left  in  that  yard  loyal  to  the 
government.  He  held  the  yard  for  four 
days,  until  Federal  troops  relieved  him. 
He  was  promoted  to  captain  in  July,  1861, 
remaining  commander  of  the  yard.  In 
July,  1862,  he  was  made  chief  of  the 
Bureau  of  Ordnance,  and  in  February, 
1863,  he  received  from  Congress  a  vote 
of  thanks  and  was  made  rear-admiral.  In 
July,  1863,  he  succeeded  to  the  command 
of  the  South  Atlantic  blockading  squad- 
ron, which  comprised  ninety  vessels  of 
war,  including  the  iron-clad  monitor  fleet 
at  Charleston,  and  guarded  three  hundred 
miles  of  coast  and  twenty-five  ports.  He 
succeeded  in  silencing  Fort  Sumter  and 
the  batteries  on  Morris  Island,  put  a  stop 
to  blockade  running,  led  a  successful 
expedition  on  the  St.  John's  river,  co- 
operated with  Sherman  in  the  capture  of 
Savannah,  and  entered  Charleston  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1865.  He  commanded  the  South 
Pacific  Squadron  in  1866,  and  was  again 
Chief  of  Ordnance  in  1869-70,  being  re- 
lieved at  his  own  request  and  appointed 
to  the  command  of  the  Washington  navy- 
yard.  His  published  works  include :  "32- 
pdr.  Practice  for  Rangers  (1848)  ;  "Exer- 
cises and  Manceuvers  for  the  Boat  Howit- 
zer" (1852)  ;  "Boat  Armament"  (1852, 
second  edition,  1856)  ;  "Percussion  Sys- 
tem"   (1853)  ;    "Ordnance    Memoranda" 

21 


(1853);  "Shells  and  Shell-guns"  (1856;; 
and  "Memoir  of  Ulric  Dahlgren"  (1872J  ; 
besides  numerous  reports,  memoranda 
and  notes  on  ordnance  published  in  pam- 
phlet. 

He  died  suddenly  in  Washington,  D.  C. 
July  12,  1870,  and  was  buried  in  the  fam- 
ily burying  ground  at  Laurel  Hill,  Phil- 
adelphia. 


BIGLER,  William, 

GoTemor,    Senator. 

William  Bigler,  of  Pennsylvania,  was 
born  at  Shermansburg,  Cumberland 
county,  Pennsylvania,  in  December,  1814, 
of  German  ancestry.  When  he  was  quite 
young  his  parents  removed  to  the  west- 
ern part  of  the  State,  where  his  father 
purchased  a  large  tract  of  unimproved 
land,  but  his  death  occurred  before  he  had 
cleared  it  for  cultivation. 

William  Bigler  attended  the  common 
schools  in  the  vicinity  of  his  home,  and 
from  1830  to  1833  he  served  an  apprentice- 
ship at  the  trade  of  printer  in  the  office  of 
the  "Centre  Democrat,"  published  at 
Bellefonte,  Pennsylvania,  by  his  elder 
brother,  John  Bigler,  who  afterward  be- 
came Governor  of  California.  In  1834 
William  Bigler  established  a  paper  of  his 
own,  the  "Clearfield  Democrat,"  which  he 
edited  with  vigor  and  ability;  this  was 
begun  in  the  smallest  possible  way,  but 
it  developed  into  an  influential  journal, 
and  made  his  name  well  known.  He  dis- 
posed of  the  paper  in  1836,  and  shortly 
afterward  formed  a  partnership  with  his 
father-in-law,  Alexander  B.  Reed,  in  the 
lumber  business  in  Clearfield,  and  from 
1845  to  1850  he  was  the  largest  producer 
of  lumber  on  the  west  branch  of  the  Sus- 
quehanna river.  In  1841  he  was  elected 
to  the  State  Senate  as  a  Democrat  from 
a  district  composed  of  five  counties.  In 
II 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Clearfield  county,  where  he  resided,  he 
received  all  the  votes  but  one,  a  result 
possibly  unprecedented  in  the  history  of 
politics.  During  the  struggle  in  the  State 
Legislature,  resulting  from  the  failure  of 
the  United  States  Bank  and  the  Bank  of 
Pennsylvania,  with  the  State  funds  on 
deposit,  causing  a  stringency  in  monetary 
affairs  and  preventing  the  payment  of 
interest  on  the  public  debt,  Senator  Big- 
ler  took  a  very  active  part  in  debate,  and 
won  a  brilliant  reputation  as  a  forcible, 
earnest  and  impressive  speaker.  He  was 
president  of  the  Senate  in  1843-44,  and  in 
the  latter  year  he  was  reelected  to  the 
Senate,  and  in  legislation  on  public 
internal  improvements  took  a  strong 
stand  in  support  of  the  project  to  extend 
the  line  now  known  as  the  Pennsylvania 
railroad  across  the  Alleghany  mountains 
to  Pittsburgh.  In  1851  he  was  elected 
Governor  of  Pennsylvania,  his  brother 
John  being  chosen  for  the  same  office  in 
California  on  the  same  day,  a  curious 
coincidence.  Under  his  administration 
the  office  of  county  superintendent  of 
schools  was  established,  the  State  School 
for  Feeble-minded  Children  was  founded, 
the  railroad  from  Philadelphia  to  Pitts- 
burgh completed,  the  North  Branch  canal 
constructed,  and  the  city  of  Philadelphia 
consolidated  into  one  municipality.  He 
was  elected  to  the  United  States  Senate 
in  1855,  and  during  the  administration  of 
James  Buchanan,  on  account  of  his  close 
friendship  with  the  President,  exercised  a 
strong  influence  in  deciding  many  import- 
ant presidential  appointments.  After  the 
election  of  President  Lincoln  in  i860,  he 
opposed  war  and  favored  an  amicable 
adjustment  of  the  national  differences. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Democratic  na- 
tional conventions  of  i860,  1864  and  1868. 
He  introduced  a  bill  in  the  Thirty-sev- 
enth   Congress   and   advocated   it   before 

21 


the  Senate,  providing  that  the  Critten- 
den compromise  be  submitted  to  popular 
vote  in  the  several  States.  He  was  a 
member  of  the  State  Constitutional  Con- 
vention of  1873,  and  a  member  of  the 
board  of  finance  of  the  Centennial  Ex- 
position, 1876.  For  many  years  he  was 
president  of  the  Philadelphia  &  Erie  rail- 
road, and  held  other  important  offices. 
He  died  at  Clearfield,  Pennsylvania,  Au- 
gust 9,  1880. 


SCOTT,  John, 

Leader   at   the   Bar,   Statesman. 

According  to  family  tradition,  the  first 
of  this  line  of  Scott  of  whom  information 
is  obtainable  was  John  Scott,  of  Scotch 
ancestry,  who  participated  in  the  historic 
siege  of  Londonderry  and  of  whom  it  is 
written  that  in  the  extremity  of  hunger, 
he  paid  a  guinea  for  a  rat,  which  he  ate. 
About  the  year  1740,  three  persons  of  the 
name  Scott,  presumably  brothers,  and 
sons  of  the  previously  mentioned  John 
Scott,  of  Londonderry,  Ireland,  made  set- 
tlements upon  Marsh  creek,  near  Gettys- 
burg, now  in  Adams,  then  in  Lancaster 
county,  but  did  not  procure  patents  to 
their  lands  until  about  1765.  Concern- 
ing the  reason  for  this  delay,  a  descend- 
ant of  one  of  the  pioneers,  John  (2)  Scott, 
father  of  John  Scott,  the  present  Phil- 
adelphia representative  of  his  family, 
wrote  in  1892:  "I  infer  that  the  delay  in 
perfecting  their  titles  was  caused  by  the 
conflict  which  arose  between  the  settlers 
and  the  Proprietaries,  about  their  lands 
being  run  into  the  'Manor  of  Maske'." 
It  was  from  John,  one  of  the  three  Scotts 
— John,  William,  and  Hugh — that  this 
line  descended,  his  homestead,  "Rosen- 
hill,"  situated  between  Willoughby's  run 
and  Marsh  creek,  not  far  from  their  con- 
fluence. As  late  as  the  latter  part  of  the 
12 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


nineteenth  century,  upon  the  occasion  of 
a  visit  to  the  locality  by  Senator  Scott, 
the  original  log  house,  built  by  John 
Scott,  the  emigrant,  was  still  standing, 
being  utilized  as  a  kitchen  by  the  occupant 
of  the  larger  and  more  modern  structure 
built  adjoining  it.  It  is  probable  that  this 
John  Scott  was  sheriff  of  York  county  in 
1751,  the  occupant  of  the  office  at  that 
time  bearing  the  name.  John  Scott  was 
twice  married,  his  first  wife  being  a  Miss 
Miller,  and  he  died  about  the  year  1789, 
intestate,  survived  by  seven  sons  and 
two  daughters  :  David,  of  whom  further ; 
John,  James,  Joseph,  Thomas,  Alexander, 
William,  Nancy,  and  Margaret.  Thomas 
Scott,  son  of  James,  was  the  father  of 
Colonel  Thomas  Alexander  Scott,  whose 
services  as  First  Assistant  Secretary  of 
War  were  of  great  value  to  the  Union 
during  the  Civil  War,  and  who  was  after- 
ward known  as  the  president  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania railroad,  of  the  Union  Pacific, 
and  of  the  Texas  Pacific  railroad. 

David,  son  of  John  Scott,  came  into 
possession  of  his  father's  estate,  "Rosen- 
hill,"  and  February  9,  1789,  one  week 
after  inheriting  this  property,  he  sold  it 
to  Thomas  Lowe.  Five  years  later,  by 
deed  dated  December  16,  1794,  John  Pen- 
neton  conveyed  to  David  Scott  a  property 
in  Huntingdon  county,  in  which  he  is 
described  as  of  Barre  township,  of  Hunt- 
ingdon county,  having  taken  up  his  abode 
there  subsequent  to  the  sale  of  the  Scott 
homestead  in  York  county.  How  long 
David  Scott  remained  in  Huntingdon 
county  is  not  known,  certainly  only  a  few 
years,  for  he  went  westward  to  Butler 
county,  where  he  died  in  1800.  David 
Scott  was  twice  married,  his  first  wife 
being  Sarah  McCreary,  of  York  county, 
Pennsylvania ;  his  second,  whom  he  mar- 
ried about  1793.  Jane  Ramsey.  Sarah 
McCreary    was    a    daughter    of    William 


and  Deborah  McCreary,  her  father  a 
wagonmaster  in  the  army  at  the  time  of 
Braddock's  defeat,  and,  according  to  the 
family  tradition,  "heard  the  high  words 
which  passed  between  Washington  and 
Braddock,  and  afterward  drove  his  wagon 
over  Braddock's  grave  to  conceal  it  from 
the  Indians."  David  Scott  was  the  father 
of  John  (of  whom  further j,  Deborah, 
William,  David  Ramsey,  Alexander,  and 
Margaret. 

John,  eldest  of  the  six  children  of 
David  Scott,  was  born  near  Gettysburg, 
Adams  (then  York)  county,  December 
25,  1784,  and  died  September  22,  1850.  As 
a  youth  he  accompanied  his  parents  from 
York  to  Huntingdon  county,  but  when 
the  family  went  still  farther  westward  he 
remained  behind,  having  been  apprenticed 
to  John  Hagan  to  learn  the  trade  of  shoe- 
maker. After  completing  his  apprentice- 
ship, John  Scott  located  in  Alexandria, 
this  place  his  home  until  his  death,  nearly 
half  a  century  afterward.  His  activities 
were  not  confined  to  his  individual  efforts, 
for  within  a  reasonably  short  time  there 
were  in  his  employ  fifteen  or  twenty 
journeymen  and  apprentices.  He  became 
a  manufacturer  of  boots  and  shoes,  and 
subsequently  added  a  tannery  to  his  es- 
tablishment, that  he  might  create  his  own 
supply  of  leather.  His  business  flourished 
and  expanded,  and  he  was  known  at  the 
time  of  his  retirement  in  1842,  because 
of  impaired  health,  as  the  most  influential 
and  successful  business  man  of  the 
locality.  His  prominence  in  the  business 
and  industrial  world  gave  him  the  posi- 
tion of  leader  among  his  fellows,  and 
public  honors,  at  first  of  only  local  char- 
acter, were  conferred  upon  him,  and  in 
1819  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
Pennsylvania  House  of  Representatives. 
His  colleague  was  David  Rittenhouse 
Porter,  afterward  Governor  of  the  Com- 


2TI3 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


monwealth,  and  when  he  was  returned 
for  the  following  term  he  was  associated 
with  John  Royer.  His  State  service  was 
of  such  sterling  worth  that  in  the  fall  of 
1828  he  was  chosen  to  represent  his  dis- 
trict in  the  Twenty-first  National  Con- 
gress, and  during  his  one  term  partici- 
pated freely  in  the  discussion  of  the  house, 
principally  in  connection  with  tariff  legis- 
lation. During  the  War  of  1812-15,  John 
Scott  joined  a  company  of  militia,  com- 
manded by  Captain  Moses  Canan,  which 
with  others  was  ordered  to  rendezvous  at 
Meadville.  When  a  regiment  was  formed 
of  this  and  other  companies,  he  was  com- 
missioned its  major,  and  Jeremiah  Snider, 
of  Chambersburg,  its  colonel. 

John  Scott  was  twice  married,  (first) 
October  16,  1806,  to  Sarah  Davis,  a  resi- 
dent of  Morris  townshi,p,  Huntingdon 
county,  born  August  2,  1788,  died  July 
17,  1820;  (second)  October  29,  1821,  to 
Nancy  (Agnes),  born  in  Bally  Keel, 
County  Down,  Ireland,  June  13,  1799, 
died  at  Alexandria,  Huntingdon  county, 
daughter  of  William  and  Mary  (Stitt) 
Irvine.  Her  ancestry,  like  that  of  the 
Scott  family,  was  Scotch,  her  line  con- 
nected with  those  of  Adair,  Irvine,  Stitt, 
Hamilton,  McElroy,  and  McClure.  John 
Scott  was  the  father  of  six  children  "by 
his  first  marriage,  seven  by  his  second: 
A  son,  died  in  infancy,  unnamed ;  Sarah, 
Oliver  G.,  Nancy,  Eliza,  Rebecca,  Susan. 
John,  of  whom  further;  James  Irvine; 
George  W.,  founder  of  Agnes  Scott  Col- 
lege, Decatur,  Georgia,  and  where  Agnes 
Scott,  a  niece  of  John  Scott.  Jr.,  is  now  a 
student ;  William,  Mary  Irvine,  and  Al- 
fred Mcllvaine. 

John  (2),  son  of  John  (i)  and  Agnes 
(Irvine)  Scott,  was  born  at  Alexandria, 
Huntingdon  county,  Pennsylvania,  July 
14,  1824,  died  in  Philadelphia,  November 
29,  1896.    His  early  education  was  acquir- 


ed at  the  "Octagon"  brick  school  house 
at  Alexandria,  and  he  studied  under  the 
tutorship  of  Thomas  A.  Maguire,  Lemuel 
and  William  Kinsloe,  and  Henry  J.  Van 
Dyke,  the  last  named  he  who  afterward 
became  the  celebrated  Presbyterian  the- 
ologian. Rev.  Henry  J.  Van  Dyke,  D.  D. 
It  was  characteristic  of  his  loyalty  to  his 
friends  that  when  Mr.  Scott  was  elected 
to  the  United  States  Senate  he  secured 
for  his  old  teacher,  Thomas  A.  Maguire, 
two  clerkships  of  the  Senate  committees 
of  which  he  was  chairman.  Writing 
reminiscently,  late  in  life,  he  thus  re- 
ferred to  his  former  preceptor:  "Peace 
be  to  his  ashes !  I  loved  him,  and  often 
yet  when  I  look  up  into  the  stars  I  go 
back  in  memory  to  the  evenings  when  he 
would  assemble  his  class  in  astronomy 
upon  the  hill,  and  there,  under  the  starry 
heavens,  with  his  pencil  upon  the  con- 
stellations of  the  celestial  globe  for  a 
pointer,  tell  us  of  the  location  of  Orion 
and  Pleiades,  Arcturus  and  Proteus,  and 
teach  us  how  to  find  the  North  Star."  In 
accordance  with  the  custom  of  the  day, 
John  Scott  diligently  applied  himself  to 
the  study  of  the  classics,  and  in  Novem- 
ber, 1842,  a  youth  of  eighteen  years,  went 
to  Chambersburg,  in  Franklin  county, 
where  he  began  the  study  of  law  in  what 
was  nominally  a  law  school,  but  in  reality 
the  office  of  Alexander  Thomson,  one  of 
the  most  eminent  jurists  of  southern 
Pennsylvania.  His  legal  studies  were 
concluded  in  January,  1846,  when  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  of  Franklin  county, 
and  soon  afterward  to  that  of  Hunting- 
don county.  His  active  practice  began 
in  Huntingdon,  the  county  seat  of  the 
county  of  the  same  name,  his  talent  and 
ability  bringing  their  inevitable  reward  in 
high  professional  position.  His  rise  to 
prominence  began  in  the  year  of  his  ad- 
mission to  the  bar,  and  by  appointment  of 

14 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Attorney  Generals  John  K.  Kane,  John 
M.  Read,  and  Benjamin  Champneys,  he 
served  as  prosecuting  attorney  for  Hunt- 
ingdon county,  holding  the  office  until 
1849.  In  1857,  in  association  with  the 
late  Judge  Cyrus  L.  Pershing,  of  Schuyl- 
kill county,  Mr.  Scott  was  employed  by 
the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company  to 
try  one  of  its  important  cases  in  Cambria 
county,  among  their  opponents  being 
such  leading  lawyers  as  Thomas  White, 
Henry  D.  Foster,  Robert  L.  Johnston, 
S.  Steele  Blair,  and  John  Fenlon.  The 
case,  which  excited  considerable  public 
interest,  was  finally  won  by  the  corpora- 
tion, both  in  the  court  below,  as  in  the 
Supreme  Court,  by  appeal.  Mr.  Scott 
then  entered  the  permanent  service  of 
the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  Company  as 
special  counsel  for  the  district  compris- 
ing the  counties  of  Cambria,  Blair,  and 
Huntingdon,  a  position  he  held  until  his 
election  to  the  United  States  Senate  in 
1869. 

His  first  public  office,  excepting  the 
professional  post  of  prosecuting  attorney, 
was  that  of  Revenue  Commissioner,  to 
which  he  was  appointed  in  1851,  and  in 
1862  he  was  sent  to  the  State  Legisla- 
ture, where  he  served  one  term,  as  had 
his  father.  The  chief  distinction  of  his 
long  and  useful  career  came  in  January, 
1869,  when  the  Legislature  chose  him  to 
fill  a  seat  in  the  United  States  Senate, 
znce  Charles  Rollin  Buckalew,  whose  term 
of  service  came  to  a  close  March  3,  1869. 
Mr.  Scott  had  been  an  ardent  Democrat, 
but  had,  however,  been  of  anti-Buchanan 
sentiment,  and  as  a  delegate  to  the  Demo- 
cratic Convention  of  1852  had  led  the 
opposition  to  the  Lancaster  countian's 
nomination  for  president.  He  was,  in- 
deed, the  author  of  the  formal  protest 
presented  to  the  convention  by  nearly  if 
not  quite  one-third  of  the  delegates,  de- 
claring against  Buchanan's  availability  as 

21 


the  Democratic  candidate  for  the  chief 
magistracy  of  the  nation.  When  the 
Civil  War  came  he  was  a  pronounced 
loyalist,  and  was  chosen  to  the  Legisla- 
ture in  1861  on  the  Republican,  or,  as  it 
was  then  called,  the  Union  ticket,  and  at 
Harrisburg  he  effectively  cooperated  with 
the  Curtin  administration  in  carrying 
out  its  military  programme.  In  1S64  he 
joined  ex-Speaker  John  Cessna,  of  Bed- 
ford county,  General  John  F.  Hartranft, 
of  Montgomery  county,  and  other  War 
Democrats,  and  permanently  identified 
himself  with  the  Republican  party. 

When  the  Legislature  assembled,  in 
January,  1869,  and  the  time  arrived  for 
the  election  of  Buckalew's  successor, 
this  election  was  keenly  contested  but  all 
parties  finally  agreed  on  John  Scott,  who 
at  the  time  was  not  an  active  candidate, 
his  decisive  election  taking  place  Janu- 
ary 19,  1869.  His  term  of  service  began 
March  4,  1869,  and  closed  March  3,  1875. 
Concerning  his  senatorial  career,  James 
G.  Blaine,  in  his  "Twenty  Years  in  Con- 
gress," wrote  :  "John  Scott,  whose  father 
had  been  a  Representative  in  Congress, 
succeeded  Mr.  Buckalew  as  Senator  from 
Pennsylvania.  Mr.  Scott  had  taken  little 
part  in  politics  and  had  been  altogether 
devoted  to  his  profession  as  a  lawyer ; 
but  his  service  in  the  Senate  was  distin- 
guished by  intelligence  and  fidelity."  An- 
other of  his  more  intimate  contempo- 
raries, the  late  Alexander  K.  McClure, 
wrote  thus  of  his  senatorial  election  and 
service:  "John  Scott  was  then  confessed- 
ly the  leader  of  the  bar  in  interior  Penn- 
sylvania, and  was  connected  profession- 
ally with  the  great  railroad  line  of  the 
State  *  *  *  Fortunately  he  possessed  every 
quality  essential  for  a  man  to  fill  a  seat 
in  the  highest  legislative  tribunal  of  the 
nation,  and  while  many  of  the  more  active 
politicians  were  greatly  disappointed  to 
find  a  man  unanimously  nominated   for 

15 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Senator  who  would  have  been  easily  de- 
feated if  left  to  his  own  political  re- 
sources, none  could  question  the  fitness 
of  the  selection,  and  I  cannot  recall  an- 
other instance  in  which  the  party  electing 
a  United  States  Senator  created  and  wel- 
comed its  candidate  with  such  entire 
unanimity  and  cordiality  as  welcomed 
John  Scott,  and  his  career  in  the  Senate 
brought  no  disappointment  to  his  many 
friends  *  *  *  Scott's  election  to  the  Senate 
gave  Pennsylvania  an  able,  brave,  con- 
scientious and  faithful  Senator. 

While  occupying  his  post  in  the  Senate 
he  had,  by  reason  of  his  ability,  so  im- 
pressed himself  upon  the  leading  men  of 
the  nation  that  President  Grant  tendered 
him,  through  George  W.  Childs,  of  Phil- 
adelphia, the  Secretaryship  of  the  In- 
terior. This  important  post,  with  its 
accompanying  honors  he  felt  obliged  to 
decline,  chiefly  for  domestic  reasons.  He 
was  the  father  of  a  large  family,  and  he 
preferred  to  return  to  his  chosen  vocation, 
that  he  might  make  proper  provision  for 
his  children,  which  he  could  not  well  do 
if  he  remained  longer  in  public  life. 

In  June,  1875,  following  the  conclusion 
of  his  Senatorial  service,  Mr.  Scott  settled 
in  Pittsburgh,  where  he  organized  the 
legal  department  for  the  "Pennsylvania 
Lines  West  of  Pittsburgh,"  as  the  west- 
ern branch  of  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad 
Company  was  and  still  is  called.  In  No- 
vember, 1877,  he  was  called  to  Philadel- 
phia to  take  full  charge  of  the  legal 
branch  of  the  parent  corporation,  and 
from  that  time  until  1895,  a  year  prior  to 
his  decease,  served  in  the  responsible 
post  of  General  Solicitor  for  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Railroad  Company,  whose  presi- 
dent, for  a  portion  of  the  time,  was  his 
second  cousin.  Colonel  Thomas  A.  Scott, 
previously  mentioned  in  these  pages.  Re- 
ferring to  his  withdrawal  from  the  Solici- 
tor-Generalship of  the  company,  one  of 
his  biographers  has  written:     "His  long 

21 


and  honorable  career  in  his  official  capac- 
ity and  his  universally  recognized  ability 
made  the  severance  of  his  official  ties  a 
distinct  loss  to  the  company  and  his  asso- 
ciates, and  a  fitting  tribute  to  his  fidelity 
and  ability  was  at  that  time  entered  in 
the  official  archives." 

As  a  resident  of  Huntingdon  he  was 
closely  connected  with  many  of  the  city's 
interests,  and  was  one  of  the  original 
incorporators  and  a  director  of  the  Hunt- 
ingdon and  Broad  Top  Railroad  Com- 
pany, a  director  of  the  Huntingdon  Gas 
Company,  a  member  of  the  banking  firm 
of  Bell,  Garretson  &  Company,  director 
of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Hunting- 
don, a  trustee  of  the  academy,  a  director 
of  the  public  schools,  and  superintendent 
of  the  Sunday  school,  as  well  as  leading 
place  in  all  movements  and  enterprises 
for  the  public  welfare.  Philanthropic, 
charitable,  humanitarian,  educational,  and 
religious  organizations  benefited  by  his 
active  interest,  and  while  living  in  Pitts- 
burgh he  was  a  manager  of  the  Dixmont 
Hospital  and  of  the  Western  Theological 
Seminary.  After  coming  to  Philadelphia 
in  1877  he  added  to  his  associations  of 
this  nature  by  becoming  an  elder  of  the 
Walnut  Street  Presbyterian  Church,  a 
member  of  the  Presbyterian  Board  of 
Publication  and  Sabbath  School  Work,  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Ministerial  Re- 
lief, a  director  and  trustee  of  the  Prince- 
ton Theological  Seminary,  a  trustee  of 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  and, 
among  numerous  scholarly  and  social 
affiliations,  a  member  of  the  Historical 
Society  of  Pennsylvania.  One  who  knew 
him  well  wrote  that  he  was  "A  man  of 
admitted  ability,  tireless  energy,  and  un- 
blemished in  reputation."  The  judgment  of 
all  of  his  fellows  proclaimed  him  not  only 
a  great  man,  but  a  good  man,  and  there  is 
none  today  who  knew  him  who  would 
take  an  opposite  stand. 

John  Scott  married.  May  8,  1849,  Annie 
16 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Eyster,  born  in  Chambersburg,  Pennsyl- 
vania,  November    13,    1827,   died    March 

26,  191 1,  daughter  of  George  and  Elea- 
nor (Alison)  Eyster,  of  the  well  known 
Chambersburg  family.  Children:  Wil- 
liam, born  May  8,   1850,  died   February 

27,  1906,  a  member  of  the  Pittsburgh  bar, 
law  partner  of  former  Congressman  John 
Dalzell,  at  one  time  president  of  the  State 
Bar  Association  ;  Eleanor  Alison  ;  George 
Eyster,  a  coal  merchant  of  Philadelphia; 
Mary  Irvine;  John,  of  whom  further; 
Annie  Alison;  Laura  Eyster;  James 
Irvine,  engaged  in  business  in  Idaho ; 
Joseph  Alison,  M.  D.,  born  May  20,  1865, 
died  August  13,  1909.  a  distinguished 
physician  of  Philadelphia ;  Walter,  born 
April  19,  1868,  died  October  24,  1907,  a 
successful  legal  practitioner  of  Colorado 
Springs,  Colorado. 

John  Scott  (3)  was  born  in  Hunting- 
don, Pennsylvania,  June  28,  1857,  and 
after  preparatory  studies  in  the  local 
academy  matriculated  at  Princeton  Uni- 
versity. He  was  graduated  from  this 
institution,  Bachelor  of  Arts,  in  the  class 
of  1877,  and  three  years  later  he  took  the 
Master's  degree.  In  the  year  that  he 
received  his  A.  M.  from  Princeton  he 
was  made  a  Bachelor  of  Laws  by  gradu- 
ation from  the  law  course  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Pennsylvania.  He  was  admitted 
to  the  Philadelphia  bar  in  1880,  and  has 
since  been  continuously  engaged  in  prac- 
tice in  all  State  and  Federal  courts  of  the 
Philadelphia  district,  from  1881  to  1884 
serving  as  assistant  city  solicitor.  Of 
his  legal  standing  it  may  be  best  said 
that  in  no  way  has  he  fallen  short  of  the 
standard  erected  by  his  honored  sire,  and 
that  he  holds  the  regard  and  respect  of 
his  brethren  of  the  profession. 

Mr.  Scott  has  extensive  business  inter- 
ests, is  a  director  of  several  coal  com- 
panies, of  the  Centennial  National  Bank, 
since  1900  has  been  a  trustee  of  the  Poly- 
clinic Hospital,  and  since  1910  president 

21 


of  the  board.  He  is  identified  with  many 
professional  and  social  organizations, 
among  them  the  Lawyers'  Club,  the 
American  Bar  Association,  and  the  Union 
League.  His  religious  belief  is  Presby- 
terian, his  political  party  the  Republi- 
can. 

John  Scott  married,  at  Chestnut  Hill, 
Pennsylvania,  July  17,  1884,  Mary  Lane 
Landis. 


CURTIN,  Andrew  Gregg, 

War  Governor,  Diplomatist. 

Andrew  Gregg  Curtin  was  born  in 
Bellefonte,  Pennsylvania,  April  22,  1815; 
son  of  Roland  Curtin,  who  came  from 
Ireland  in  1793  and  in  1807  established 
an  iron  foundry  near  Bellefonte.  His 
mother  was  a  daughter  of  Andrew  Gregg, 
Representative  and  Senator  in  Congress 
from  Pennsylvania. 

He  was  educated  at  Milton  Academy, 
studied  law  at  Dickinson  College,  gradu- 
ating in  1837,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  in  1839.  In  1840  he  supported  Gen- 
eral Harrison  for  the  presidency,  in  1844 
canvassed  the  State  for  Henry  Clay,  and 
was  on  the  Whig  electoral  ticket  of  1848 
and  1852.  In  the  latter  year,  as  chair- 
man of  the  State  Central  Committee,  he 
conducted  the  gubernatorial  canvass  for 
James  Pollock,  and  upon  his  inauguration 
as  Governor,  Mr.  Curtin  was  appointed 
Secretary  of  the  Commonwealth.  He 
ofificially  encouraged  the  county  super- 
intendency  of  schools,  then  first  inau- 
gurated, and  his  report  to  the  Legislature 
led  to  the  establishment  of  the  normal 
schools.  He  was  elected  Governor  of 
Pennsylvania  in  October,  i860,  by  a  ma- 
jority of  32,000,  after  a  spirited  canvass 
that  was  looked  upon  throughout  the 
country  as  an  index  to  the  presidential 
election  to  be  held  the  next  month.  Gov- 
ernor Curtin  called  an  extra  session  of 
the  Legislature  to  meet  in  April,  1861. 
17 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


to  provide  for  the  public  defence,  and 
when  President  Lincoln  called  for  volun- 
teers, Pennsylvania,  whose  quota  was  14,- 
000  men,  organized  nearly  30,000  and  had 
five  companies  in  the  field  April  18,  1861, 
the  first  volunteer  troops  from  any  State  to 
reach  the  national  capital.  The  celebrated 
Pennsylvania  Reserves  were  at  this  time 
regularly  mustered  and  drilled  by  the 
State  under  the  direction  of  the  Governor, 
and  his  forethought  in  holding  15,000 
extra  volunteers  at  Harrisburg  was  ap- 
preciated by  the  government  and  the  men 
were  soon  put  in  the  field.  The  Pennsyl- 
vania Reserves  were  known  by  the  whole 
army,  and  made  a  record  for  bravery  as 
they  did  for  patriotism.  This  vigorous 
policy  of  the  Governor  was  kept  up 
throughout  the  war,  and  270  regiments, 
besides  detached  companies,  an  army  of 
387,284  men,  were  credited  to  the  single 
State  of  Pennsylvania.  Ofificial  agents  of 
the  State  were  sent  to  the  field  to  look 
after  the  sick  and  wounded,  and  through 
the  eflForts  of  the  Governor  no  body  of 
a  soldier  known  to  have  belonged  to 
Pennsylvania  was  buried  outside  the 
State.  A  system  for  the  care  and  educa- 
tion of  the  orphans  and  the  children  of 
the  wounded  was  organized,  the  State 
becoming  their  guardian  and  supporting 
them  until  they  could  support  themselves. 
At  the  end  of  his  second  term.  Governor 
Curtin  retired  from  public  life,  declining 
a  second  time  the  proffer  of  a  first-class 
foreign  mission.  In  1869  President 
Grant  appointed  him  United  States  Min- 
ister to  Russia,  and  in  the  Republican 
National  Convention  of  1868  and  1872  he 
was  prominently  before  both  those  bodies 
as  a  suitable  candidate  for  the  vice-presi- 
dency. Upon  his  return  from  Russia  in 
1872,  he  supported  Horace  Greeley  for 
the  presidency,  and  remained  in  the  Dem- 
ocratic party.  He  served  as  a  Represen- 
tative in  the  forty-seventh,  forty-eighth, 
and  forty-ninth  Congresses,  1881-87. 


He  was  married  to  Katherine,  daugh- 
ter of  Dr.  William  J.  Wilson,  of  Centre 
county,  Pennsylvania.  He  died  at  Belle- 
fonte,  Pennsylvania,  October  7,  1894. 


KANE,  Elisha  Kent, 

Distinguished  Explorer. 

Elisha  Kent  Kane  was  born  in  Phila- 
delphia, Pennsylvania,  February  20,  1820, 
son  of  John  Kintzing  and  Jane  Duval 
(Leiper)  Kane.  Deciding  to  become  a  civil 
engineer,  he  entered  the  University  of 
Virginia  in  1837,  but  owing  to  a  severe 
illness  he  was  obliged  to  abandon  his 
studies.  After  partially  recovering  his 
health  he  was  graduated  with  first  honors 
from  the  Medical  Department  of  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania  in  1842.  He 
entered  the  United  States  navy  as  assist- 
ant surgeon,  July  21,  1843,  was  promoted 
to  passed  assistant  surgeon,  September 
14,  1848,  and  served  on  the  "Brandy- 
wine."  He  visited  Brazil,  Bombay,  Cey- 
lon, the  Philippines  where  he  descended 
into  the  crater  of  the  volcano  Tael,  a 
feat  previously  attempted  by  but  one  Eu- 
ropean— ^Persia,  Syria,  Greece,  Austria, 
Germany  and  Switzerland.  In  May, 
1846  he  was  commissioned  surgeon,  went 
to  the  coast  of  Africa,  and  made  an  ex- 
cursion into  the  interior,  visiting  the 
king  of  Dahomey.  He  was  taken  ill  with 
rice  fever  and  returned  to  the  United 
States  in  1847.  He  served  in  the  War 
with  Mexico,  and  after  the  war  he  was 
attached  to  the  store-ship  "Supply,"  visit- 
ing the  Mediterranean  and  the  West  In- 
dies in  1849,  «i"d  the  same  year  he  was 
presented  with  a  sword  by  the  city  of 
Philadelphia. 

In  1850  he  prepared  for  an  Arctic  voy- 
age with  the  first  Grinnell  expedition 
under  Lieutenant  Edwin  J.  de  Hazen,  to 
search  for  Sir  John  Franklin  and  his 
companions.  The  expedition  was  absent 
for  sixteen  months,  and  after  many  hard- 


2118 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ships  and  disappointments  they  returned, 
having  found  no  trace  of  the  missing  ex- 
plorers. On  his  return,  Kane  published 
a  narrative  of  the  voyage,  containing  an 
account  of  the  discovery  of  Grinnell  Land, 
an  island  at  the  head  of  Wellington  Chan- 
nel. He  wras  active  in  organizing  another 
expedition,  and  gave  the  proceeds  of  his 
lectures  and  his  pay  for  twenty  months 
for  the  equipment.  George  Peabody 
contributed  liberally,  and  Mr.  Grinnell 
gave  the  brig  "Advance."  This  expedi- 
tion sailed  in  June,  1853;  reached  the 
coast  of  Greenland,  and,  by  following  the 
coast  of  Smith  Sound,  attained  a  latitude 
of  seventy-eight  degrees,  forty-three 
minutes  north,  the  highest  ever  reached. 
Here  they  were  imprisoned  in  the  ice. 
Short  sledge  journeys  were  made  in  ex- 
ploration, and  Dr.  Kane  engaged  in  scien- 
tific investigation,  and  the  Humboldt 
glacier,  and  what  they  supposed  to  be  the 
Arctic  sea,  were  discovered.  The  expe- 
dition suffered  greatly  during  the  winter 
for  want  of  food  and  fuel  and  from  the 
scurvy.  After  enduring  great  hardships 
the  vessel  was  abandoned  in  May,  1855, 
and  an  attempt  was  made  to  reach  the 
nearest  Danish  settlement  in  South 
Greenland.  The  men  travelled  over 
twelve  hundred  miles  of  broken  ice, 
drawing  the  sledges,  although  sufifering 
from  weakness.  They  reached  Uper- 
navik,  August  6,  1855,  where  they  found 
that  an  expedition  had  been  sent  to 
their  relief.  They  arrived  in  the  United 
States  in  October,  1855,  where  an  en- 
thusiastic welcome  was  accorded  to  them. 
The  United  States  government  presented 
Arctic  medals,  and  the  English  govern- 
ment Queen's  medals  to  the  officers  and 
men.  Dr.  Kane  was  presented  with  the 
founder's  medal  of  1856  by  the  Royal 
Geographical  Society,  and  also  with  the 
gold  medal  of  1858  from  the  Societe  de 
Geographic.  His  health  being  under- 
mined   by    exposure.    Dr.    Kane     visited 

21 


Europe  in  an  efifort  to  recuperate.  From 
there  he  went  to  Havana,  Cuba,  where  he 
died.  His  remains  were  returned  to 
Philadelphia  and  accorded  civic  and 
military  honors. 

In  the  selection  of  names  for  the  Hall 
of  Fame,  New  York  University,  made  in 
October,  1900,  his  was  one  of  the  twenty- 
one  in  "Class  E,  Missionaries  and  Explor- 
ers," and  received  twenty-two  votes,  a 
number  exceeded  only  by  Judson  and 
Boone  with  thirty-six  and  thirty-five  re- 
spectively, while  no  name  in  the  class 
was  accorded  a  place.  He  was  the  author 
of:  "Second  Grinnell  Expedition"  (1856). 
He  died  in  Havana,  Cuba,  February  16, 
1857- 


MARTIN,  Hon.  William  Edward, 

Prominent    Mannfactnrer,    Public    0£9cial. 

Faithfulness  to  duty  and  strict  adher- 
ence to  a  fixed  purpose  in  life  will  do 
more  to  advance  a  man's  interests  than 
wealth  or  advantageous  circumstances. 
The  successful  men  of  the  day  are  they 
who  planned  their  own  advancement  and 
have  accomplished  it  in  spite  of  many 
obstacles  and  with  a  certainty  that  could 
have  been  obtained  only  through  their 
own  efforts.  Of  this  class  is  Hon.  Wil- 
liam E.  Martin  a  representative,  and  his 
extensive  business  interests  now  bring 
to  him  an  excellent  financial  return. 

Dr.  Christian  Frederick  Martin,  the 
progenitor  of  the  family  in  America,  was 
one  of  the  very  earliest  practitioners  of 
the  medical  profession  in  Lehigh  county, 
Pennsylvania.  He  was  born  in  Prussia. 
December  22,  1727,  son  of  a  Lutheran 
clergyman,  who  was  a  man  of  eminence 
outside  of  the  ministry,  and  at  one  time 
a  member  of  the  higher  courts  or  cabinet. 
He  received  a  collegiate  and  medical 
education  in  Berlin,  Germany,  and  short- 
ly after  graduating  from  the  University 
of  Medicine  in  that  city,  he  emigrated  to 
19 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  new  world  in  the  company  gotten  to- 
gether by  the  Rev.  Henry  Melchior  Muh- 
lenberg, and  after  traveling  over  the 
states  of  Pennsylvania,  Maryland  and 
Virginia,  located  in  Trappe,  Montgomery 
county,  Pennsylvania,  and  there  prac- 
ticed his  profession  for  many  years.  He 
subsequently  removed  to  Macungie  town- 
ship, and  there,  and  in  the  surrounding 
country,  continued  the  practice  of  his 
profession,  his  "ride"  covering  Lehigh 
county,  and  extending  far  into  Montgom- 
ery, Bucks,  Northampton,  and  what  is 
now  Carbon  county.  He  was  a  man  of 
wide  education,  was  the  owner  of  an 
extensive  and  well  selected  library,  and 
derived  considerable  pleasure  from  teach- 
ing and  demonstrating.  He  married 
(first)  at  the  Trappe,  a  Miss  Schwartley, 
the  daughter  of  a  clergyman,  who  bore 
him  six  children.  He  married  (second) 
at  the  Trappe,  Mary  Miller,  a  native  of 
that  place,  who  also  bore  him  six  chil- 
dren. Dr.  Martin  died  June  13,  1812,  aged 
eighty-four  years,  and  was  buried  in  the 
graveyard  of  the  Little  Lehigh  Church, 
beyond  Millerstown  (now  Macungie). 
Mrs.  Martin  long  survived  her  husband, 
her  death  occurring  in  Allentown  in  1837, 
at  the  age  of  ninety  years. 

Dr.  Charles  Huber  Martin,  son  of  Dr. 
Christian  Frederick  Martin  and  his  sec- 
ond wife,  Mary  (Miller)  Martin,  was  born 
December  27,  1781,  in  Macungie  town- 
ship, Lehigh  county,  Pennsylvania.  He 
studied  under  the  competent  direction  of 
his  father,  who  educated  his  sons  in 
medicine  by  lectures  on  anatomy,  illus- 
trated by  Eustache's  plates,  and  others 
on  surgery,  obstetrics,  practice,  materia 
medica  and  botany,  and  about  1812,  after 
completing  his  studies,  he  settled  in 
Allentown,  Pennsylvania,  and  there  prac- 
ticed his  profession  until  his  death,  which 
occurred  May  31,  1844.  He  married  Chris- 
tianna  Huber,  and  they  became  the  par- 
ents  of  three    children :      Rebecca,    who 

2 


became  the  wife  of  Dr.  John  Mickley,  of 
Milton,  Pennsylvania ;  Matilda,  who  be- 
came the  wife  of  Dr.  John  Romig,  of 
Allentown,  Pennsylvania;  and  Charles 
Ludwig,  of  whom  further. 

Dr.  Charles  Ludwig  Martin,  son  of  Dr. 
Charles  Huber  Martin  and  his  wife, 
Christianna  (Huber)  Martin,  was  born 
in  Allentown,  Pennsylvania,  February  17, 
182 1.  Upon  attaining  the  age  of  choosing 
his  life  work,  he  determined  to  follow  in 
the  footsteps  of  his  ancestors,  and  accord- 
ingly entered  the  office  of  his  father,  and 
in  addition  to  the  excellent  training  he  re- 
ceived there  he  attended  lectures  in  the 
medical  department  of  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania,  from  which  institution  of 
learning  he  graduated,  with  honors,  in  the 
spring  of  1841.  He  at  once  located  in 
Allentown,  his  native  city,  and  for  three 
years  assisted  his  father,  to  whose  prac- 
tice he  succeeded  upon  the  death  of  the 
latter  in  1844.  His  practice  increased 
steadily  year  by  year,  owing  to  the  skill 
and  ability  he  displayed  in  the  diagnosis 
and  treatment  of  disease,  and  after  he 
had  retired  from  active  practice  his  advice 
and  counsel  were  frequently  sought  in 
consultation.  Dr.  Martin  was  a  Whig 
and  later  a  Republican  in  politics,  was  an 
independent  thinker,  and  best  of  all,  a 
man  of  integrity,  whom  it  was  an  honor 
to  know.  He  married,  February  20,  1845, 
Matilda,  daughter  of  Dr.  Henry  Detwil- 
ler,  of  Easton,  Pennsylvania.  Children: 
Lucy,  who  became  the  wife  of  Isaac  Ash ; 
Matilda,  who  became  the  wife  of  John 
Satterfield ;  Lizzie  C,  who  became  the 
wife  of  A.  B.  Fichter ;  Dr.  Constantine  H., 
who  graduated  at  the  Bellevue  Hospital 
Medical  College  of  New  York  in  1866, 
and  at  the  New  York  Homoeopathic  Med- 
ical College  in  1868;  Dr.  Charles  D.,  who 
graduated  at  the  Bellevue  Hospital  Med- 
ical College  in  1867  and  associated  him- 
self with  his  brother,  Constantine  H,  in 
practice  in  Allentown,  Pennsylvania ; 
120 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Dr.  Truman  J.,  who  received  his  diploma 
from  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  in 
1878,  attended  a  course  in  the  New  York 
HomcEopathic  Medical  College  in  1879, 
and  settled  at  Buffalo,  and  now  at  New 
York  City;  Norton  John,  who  graduated 
from  Lafayette  College,  Easton,  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  1880,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  of  Lehigh  county  in  1883;  William 
Edward,  of  whom  further. 

William  Edward  Martin,  youngest  son 
of  Dr.  Charles  Ludwig  Martin  and  his 
wife,  Matilda  (Detwiller)  Martin,  was 
born  at  Allentown,  Pennsylvania,  Janu- 
ary 21,  1864.  He  attended  the  public 
schools  of  his  native  city,  and  in  1881 
took  a  course  of  lectures  at  the  Univer- 
sity of  Pennsylvania,  but  on  account  of 
his  age,  he  being  but  seventeen  years  old, 
he  was  barred  from  receiving  a  diploma 
to  practice  medicine,  which  was  the  pro- 
fession he  chose  to  follow,  as  so  many 
members  of  the  family  had  done.  He 
then  entered  Yale  College,  where  he  took 
a  biological  course,  graduating  therefrom 
in  the  spring  of  1885,  after  which  his 
intention  was  to  again  reenter  the  Univer- 
sity of  Pennsylvania.  During  the  sum- 
mer vacation  he  assisted  his  brother-in- 
law,  Mr.  A.  B.  Fichter,  in  starting  a  silk 
factory  at  South  Bethlehem,  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  this  business,  suiting  his 
tastes  and  inclinations,  he  changed  his 
plans  and  formed  a  partnership  with  Mr. 
Fichter  for  the  manufacture  of  silks  and 
ribbons.  In  1887  he  was  one  of  the  in- 
corporators of  the  Bethlehem  Silk  Com- 
pany, and  a  year  later  he  succeeded  to 
the  presidency  of  the  same,  and  these  two 
industries  later  moved  into  a  large  mill 
erected  by  the  Board  of  Trade  of  Bethle- 
hem. The  business  increased  steadily  in 
volume  and  importance  with  the  passing 
years,  thus  necessitating  enlarged  quar- 
ters, and  at  the  present  time  (191 5)  they 
have  about  three  acres  of  floor  space 
under  roof  and  give  employment  to  about 


eight  hundred  skilled  hands,  thus  mak- 
ing it  one  of  the  principal  industries  of 
that  section  and  adding  considerably  to 
the  population  of  the  community.  He  is 
a  firm  believer  in  the  tenets  of  the  Epis- 
copal church,  and  a  staunch  supporter  of 
the  principles  of  the  Republican  party. 
In  1907  he  was  elected  to  the  borough 
council,  and  two  years  later  was  elected 
to  the  office  of  chief  burgess  of  the  bor- 
ough of  Bethlehem,  his  term  of  office 
expiring  January  5,  1914.  In  191 1  he  was 
elected  to  the  presidency  of  the  Indus- 
trial Commission  of  Bethlehem  (Board 
of  Trade)  and  served  for  two  and  a  half 
years,  and  he  was  also  a  member  of  the 
Joint  Bridge  Commission,  a  body  of 
prominent  citizens  organized  to  bring 
about  better  bridge  facilities  between  the 
Bethlehems.  He  was  one  of  the  organ- 
izers of  the  Bethlehem  Trust  Company, 
in  1907,  and  two  years  later  was  made 
president,  in  which  capacity  he  is  still 
serving,  and  he  is  one  of  the  trustees  of 
the  Public  Library  of  Bethlehem. 

Mr.  Martin  married,  September  25. 
1901,  Suzanne  Pomp,  a  daughter  of  the 
late  Reuben  Gross,  of  Easton,  Pennsyl- 
vania. They  are  the  parents  of  one  child, 
William  Edward,  Jr.,  born  November  26, 
1902. 


KOENIG,  Adolph,  M.  D., 

Hospital    Official,   Instructor,   Journalist. 

Among  the  physicians  who  have  ren- 
dered the  greatest  service  to  the  cause  of 
medical  science  are  those  who  have  made 
valuable  contributions  to  the  literature  of 
the  profession.  Pittsburgh  has  numbered 
among  her  citizens  many  of  these,  and 
prominent  among  those  of  the  present 
day  is  Dr.  Adolph  Koenig,  the  founder  and 
editor,  now  associate  editor,  of  the  "Penn- 
sylvania Medical  Journal."  Dr.  Koenig 
also  filled  the  chair  of  materia  medica 
and  botany  for  many  years  in  the  Pitts- 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


burgh  College  of  Pharmacy,  and  has  for 
a  third  of  a  century  been  numbered 
among  the  leading  practitioners  of  the 
Iron  City. 

Bendicht  Koenig,  grandfather  of 
Adolph  Koenig,  was  born  in  1758,  in  the 
Canton  of  Bern,  Switzerland,  and  was  a 
landholder,  passing  his  life  as  a  farmer. 
He  married  Elizabeth  Knuchel  and  their 
children  were :  Bendicht ;  Jacob  ;  Nik- 
laus,  a  physician ;  Christian,  mentioned 
below ;  Elizabeth ;  and  Anna  Maria. 
Bendicht  Koenig,  the  father,  met  his 
death  in  1798,  when  the  passage  of  Na- 
poleon's army  across  the  Alps  was 
heroically  but  vainly  opposed  by  the 
valiant  Swiss. 

Christian,  son  of  Bendicht  and  Eliza- 
beth (Knuchel)  Koenig,  was  born  Sep- 
tember 6,  1796,  in  Wiggiswyl,  Canton 
Bern,  Switzerland,  where  he  became  a 
prominent  farmer.  In  1856  he  emigrated 
to  the  United  States,  settling  at  Taren- 
tum,  Allegheny  county,  Pennsylvania. 
He  continued  to  devote  himself  to  agri- 
culture, and  when  the  old  Brackenridge 
estate  was  broken  up  into  lots  and  sold 
he  was  the  first  purchaser,  becoming  the 
owner  of  one  hundred  and  seventy-six 
acres  on  which  he  erected  a  commodious 
dwelling  and  farm  buildings.  His  alle- 
giance was  always  given  to  the  Republi- 
can party  and  during  the  Civil  War  he 
was  a  strong  Abolitionist.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Evangelical  Reformed  Lutheran 
Church.  Christian  Koenig  married  Mag- 
dalena  Iseli,  and  their  children  were: 
Christian,  died  in  infancy ;  Jacob,  de- 
ceased, the  first  of  the  family  to  come  to 
the  United  States ;  Nicholas,  deceased ; 
Christian  (2),  served  throughout  the  Civil 
War,  attaining  the  rank  of  second  lieu- 
tenant, now  deceased  ;  Anna,  deceased  ; 
Rudolph,  deceased  ;  Frederick,  deceased  ; 
Mary,  deceased  ;  John,  deceased  ;  Rosina, 
deceased ;  Godfrey ;  and  Adolph,  men- 
tioned below.     In  1873  Christian  Koenig, 

2 


the  father,  sold  his  property  at  Tarentum, 
and  moved  to  Colorado,  where  he  died 
November  27,  of  the  same  year. 

Adolph,  son  of  Christian  and  Magda- 
lena  (Iseli)  Koenig,  was  born  October 
30,  1855,  at  Wiggiswyl,  Canton  of  Bern, 
Switzerland,  and  was  six  months  old 
when  brought  by  his  parents  to  the 
United  States.  Until  the  aee  of  eighteen 
he  lived  on  the  farm  near  Tarentum,  re- 
ceiving his  early  education  in  the  com- 
mon schools  and  at  the  Tarentum  Acad- 
emy. When  the  time  came  for  him  to 
choose  his  life-work  he  read  medicine  for 
one  year  under  the  preceptorship  of  the 
late  Dr.  James  McCann,  of  Pittsburgh, 
before  entering  the  Medical  Department 
of  the  University  of  Louisville,  Kentucky, 
and  subsequently  studied  at  Bellevue 
Medical  College,  New  York,  receiving 
from  the  latter  institution  in  1879  the 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine.  In  1897 
the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Phar- 
macy was  conferred  upon  him  by  the 
Western  University  of  Pennsylvania 
(now  University  of  Pittsburgh). 

After  graduating  Dr.  Koenig  spent  one 
year  as  interne  in  the  Western  Pennsyl- 
vania Hospital,  and  in  1880  went  to  Cali- 
fornia with  the  intention  of  practicing 
in  San  Francisco.  His  plans,  however, 
underwent  a  speedy  change,  for  at  the 
end  of  three  months  he  returned  to  Pitts- 
burgh, where  he  has  since  been  continu- 
ously engaged  in  active  practice.  He  has 
no  specialty,  but  devotes  himself  to  the 
work  of  a  general  practitioner.  His 
advancement  was  rapid,  having  its  source 
in  innate  ability,  thorough  equipment  and 
unremitting  devotion  to  duty,  and  he  be- 
came possessed  of  a  medical  practice  of 
wide  scope,  building  up  at  the  same  time 
an  enviable  reputation.  From  1880  to 
1895  Dr.  Koenig  was  one  of  the  visiting 
physicians  of  the  Pittsburgh  Free  Dis- 
pensary and  is  now  a  member  of  its  board 
of  managers.  For  nearly  twenty  years 
122 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OE  BIOGRAniY 


he  was  visiting  physician  of  the  Roselia 
Maternity  Hospital  and  Foundling  Asy- 
lum, and  from  1904  on  he  served  for 
several  years  on  the  staff  of  the  Alle- 
gheny General  Hospital.  He  is  now  a 
member  of  the  consulting  staff  of  the 
West  Penn  Hospital.  He  has  been  a 
member  of  the  advisory  board  of  the  De- 
partment of  Health  of  the  State  of  Penn- 
sylvania since  its  organization  in  1905. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Bureau  of  Medical 
Education  and  Licensure  of  the  State  of 
Pennsylvania,  which,  in  191 1,  replaced 
the  old  Medical  Examining  Board,  of 
which  he  was  likewise  a  member.  From 
1885  to  1905  he  was  Professor  of  Materia 
Medica  and  Botany  in  the  Pittsburgh 
College  of  Pharmacy,  now  the  Phar- 
maceutical Department  of  the  University 
of  Pittsburgh.  For  a  number  of  years 
he  was  Professor  Emeritus,  and  in  the 
same  institution  he  filled  the  chair  of 
physiology  for  several  terms.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Allegheny  County  Medical 
Society,  and  was  its  president  in  1897. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Medical  So- 
ciety of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
in  1905  was  president  of  that  body.  The 
Academy  of  Medicine  of  Pittsburgh  also 
numbers  him  among  its  members,  as  well 
as  the  American  Association  for  the 
Advancement  of  Science  and  the  Ameri- 
can Academy  of  Medicine.  He  has  the 
honor  of  being  one  of  the  charter  mem- 
bers of  the  Botanical  Society  of  Western 
Pennsylvania,  of  which  he  was  twice 
president. 

In  December,  1886,  Dr.  Koenig  was 
associated  with  a  number  of  his  profes- 
sional friends  in  the  establishment  of  the 
"Pittsburgh  Medical  Review,"  and  for 
five  years  served  on  its  editorial  staff. 
In  1892  he  became  sole  editor  and  pub- 
lisher of  that  magazine,  which  continued 
to  be  issued  as  such  until  1897  when  it 
was  transformed  into  the  "Pennsylvania 
Medical  Journal" — the  official  organ  of 
PEN— Vol  VI— 19  21 


the  Medical  Society  of  the  State  uf  Penn- 
sylvania, Dr.  Koenig,  however,  continu- 
ing to  retain  the  ownership  of  the  publica- 
tion. In  1905  he  transferred  the  owner- 
ship to  the  Medical  Society,  on  condition 
that  no  advertisement  of  secret,  proprie- 
tary or  trade-marked  medicines  be  ever 
printed  on  its  pages.  At  this  time  he 
resigned  the  editorship  and  accepted  the 
less  arduous  position  of  associate  editor, 
an  office  which  he  still  fills. 

As  a  citizen  Dr.  Koenig  has  been  loyal 
in  his  support  of  all  measures  which  he 
deemed  calculated  to  promote  the  welfare 
of  Pittsburgh.  He  is  identified  with  the 
Republicans  and  while  a  resident  of  the 
Fourth  ward  held  the  office  of  school 
director.  He  is  today  a  member  of  the 
school  board  of  Edgewood,  where  he 
lives.  His  charities  are  numerous  but 
quietly  bestowed. 

The  countenance  of  Dr.  Koenig  bears 
the  impress  of  much  force  of  character 
and  strong  mental  endowments,  com- 
bined with  a  sympathetic  nature  and  a 
genial  disposition.  His  eyes,  clear  and 
piercing,  indicate  quick  perceptions  and 
his  expression  and  manner  show  him  to 
be  at  once  the  cultured  scholar  and  the 
man  of  magnetic  social  qualities.  En- 
thusiastic in  his  efforts  to  elevate  the 
standards  of  the  medical  profession,  he 
is  also  a  public-spirited  citizen  and  has 
by  word  and  deed  done  much  for  the 
benefit  of  his  community.  Ardent  and 
loyal  in  his  attachments,  he  wins  friends 
easily  and  holds  them  long. 

Dr.  Koenig  married  (first)  April  16. 
1889,  Fanny  McFarland,  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Frances  (Sears)  Low,  of 
Charlton,  New  York.  Mrs.  Koenig  died 
February  19,  1890. 

February  2,  1895,  he  married  (second) 
Mary  Beatrice,  daughter  of  John  and 
Maria  (Blakemore)  Jeffcoat,  of  Crafton, 
Pennsylvania,  formerly  of  Leamington, 
England,  born  at  Brighton,  England. 
23 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Dr.  and  Mrs.  Koenig  became  the  par- 
ents of  the  following  children  :  Adolphus, 
Jr.,  born  September  6,  1896,  the  one  hun- 
dredth anniversary  of  the  birth  of  his 
grandfather;  Eugene  Jeffcoat,  born  April 
3,  1898;  Rhoda  Victoria,  born  June  29, 
1899;  Beatrice  Iseli,  born  November  24, 
1900;  Olivia,  born  February  25,  1902; 
Frances  Mary,  born  July  23,  1903 ;  Evan- 
geline Angliae  et  Helvetiae,  born  October 
12,  1904;  Theodore  Roosevelt,  born  Feb- 
ruary 21,  1906;  Christian,  born  February 
23,  1907,  died  same  day ;  Arthur  Rudolph, 
born  January  23,  1908 ;  Helen  Blake- 
more,  born  October  4,  1909;  and  Mary 
Beatrice,  born  October  22,  191 1,  died 
same  day.  Mrs.  Koenig  died  October  22, 
1911. 

P>om  the  land  of  the  Alps,  that  ancient 
abode  of  freedom,  have  come  many  of 
the  men  who  have  helped  to  develop  and 
enrich  the  various  elements  of  our  na- 
tional life.  Wirt,  the  high-minded  law- 
yer, Gallatin,  the  astute  financier  and 
statesman,  the  beloved  Agassiz,  student 
and  revealer  of  nature — these  and  many 
others  of  less  note,  were  by  birth  or 
descent,  sons  of  Switzerland.  The  general 
practice  of  medicine,  medical  journalism 
and  State  medicine  all  attest  the  influence 
exerted  for  their  betterment  by  Dr. 
Adolph  Koenig,  of  Pittsburgh,  and  the 
medical  profession  will  ever  bear  the 
effects  of  this  influence  from  him  who  left 
the  little  sister  republic  to  make  his  home 
in  Pennsylvania. 


CARR,  Hon.  Wooda  Nicholas, 

Jonrnalist,    Iiaxryer,    Congressman. 

Hon.  Wooda  Nicholas  Carr,  of  Union- 
town,  Fayette  county,  Pennsylvania,  is  a 
man  who  is  conspicuous  in  the  life  of  the 
community.  He  has  been  actively  iden- 
tified with  numerous  interests  which 
have  been  strong  factors  for  the  general 
welfare  of  the  city.     With  lofty  concep- 

21 


tions  of  the  duties  of  citizenship,  he  has 
ever  exercised  his  influence  in  behalf  of 
that  which  was  demanded  by  the  high- 
est standards  of  conduct  both  in  personal 
and  professional  life.  He  has  served  in 
important  positions  with  signal  ability 
and  unblemished  integrity,  and  in  his 
purely  personal  character  is  an  ideal 
Christian  gentleman.  Of  Irish  ancestry, 
many  of  the  admirable  distinguishing 
traits  of  that  nationality  have  been  trans- 
mitted to  him  with  undiminished  vigor. 

Nicholas  Carr,  the  pioneer  American 
ancestor  of  the  Mr.  Carr  of  this  sketch, 
was  in  the  early  twenties  when  he  came 
to  this  country,  and  made  his  home  for 
a  time  in  Indiana.  From  thence  he  re- 
moved to  Pennsylvania,  settling  in  Alle- 
gheny county,  and  was  there  engaged  in 
the  live  stock  business.  His  death  oc- 
curred in  1879  after  a  successful  business 
career.  He  married,  after  his  arrival  in 
this  country,  Catherine,  a  daughter  of 
Mrs.  Burns,  a  cousin  of  Robert  Burns, 
the  famous  poet.  They  had  nine  chil- 
dren. 

John  D.,  son  of  Nicholas  and  Cather- 
ine Carr,  was  born  in  Allegheny  county, 
Pennsylvania,  December  16,  1849.  He 
was  very  young  when  he  became  inter- 
ested in  the  marble  business,  and  from 
that  time  became  identified  with  interior 
construction  work  in  the  various  forms 
of  this  material.  He  removed  from  Fay- 
ette City  to  Uniontown  in  1885,  and  is 
still  engaged  in  business  there.  He  is 
identified  with  a  number  of  the  most 
important  interests  of  the  town,  has 
served  in  public  office,  is  a  thirty-second 
degree  Mason,  and  holds  high  rank  in 
that  fraternity.  Mr.  Carr  married  at  New 
Brighton,  Pennsylvania,  August  23,  1869, 
Amanda  M.,  a  daughter  of  James  R.  and 
Isabel  Cook,  of  Butler  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania. They  have  had  children  :  Wooda 
N.,  whose  name  heads  this  sketch ;  John 
D.,  a  practicing  physician  of  Pittsburgh ; 
24 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Charles  H.,  a  contractor,  of  Uniontown ; 
Edna  E.,  married  Dr.  Alexander  M.  Duff, 
of  Pittsburgh,  now  living  in  Republic, 
Pennsylvania;  Ethel  C,  married  Thomas 
J.  Gearing,  of  Pittsburgh ;  Walter  Rus- 
sell, a  member  of  the  firm  of  Carr  &  Carr ; 
Catherine. 

Wooda  N.  Carr  was  born  in  Allegheny 
City,  Pennsylvania,  now  known  as  Pitts- 
burgh, North  Side,  February  6,  1871.  The 
public  schools  of  Pittsburgh  and  Union- 
town  furnished  his  preparatory  educa- 
tion, and  from  his  earliest  years  he  dis- 
played remarkable  ability  as  a  debater. 
Having  completed  his  intermediary  stud- 
ies at  Madison  College,  he  became  a 
student  in  Monongahela  College,  at  Jeff- 
erson, Pennsylvania,  from  which  institu- 
tion he  was  graduated  in  the  class  of  1891 
with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts,  and 
from  which  he  received  the  degree  of 
Master  of  Arts  in  subsequent  years. 
While  he  had  fully  decided  upon  making 
law  his  life  work,  he  engaged  in  jour- 
nalism for  a  time,  acting  as  editor  of  the 
"Uniontown  News"  for  a  period  of  two 
years,  later  becoming  editor  of  the 
"Uniontown  Democrat,"  and  continued  in 
this  field  of  usefulness  until  1893.  He 
commenced  the  study  of  law  under  the 
preceptorship  of  D.  M.  Hertzog,  of 
Uniontown,  and  was  admitted  as  an  at- 
torney to  the  Fayette  bar  in  1895.  Later 
he  was  admitted  to  the  Supreme  Court 
of  Pennsylvania,  and  to  the  Federal  and 
Supreme  Courts  of  the  United  States. 
From  the  time  of  his  admission  to  the 
bar  he  has  been  identified  with  active 
practice  of  his  profession,  and  won  al- 
most immediate  recognition.  He  prac- 
ticed independently  until  1908,  and  in 
that  year  formed  a  partnership  with  his 
younger  brother,  Walter  Russell  Carr, 
the  firm  name  being  Carr  &  Carr.  As 
a  member  of  the  State  and  County  Bar 
associations,  Mr.  Carr  has  done  excel- 
lent   work    in     the    interests    of    those 


bodies.  Influential  and  active  in  politics 
in  behalf  of  the  Democratic  party,  he  was 
its  candidate  for  Congress  in  1900,  from 
the  district  then  comprised  of  Fayette, 
Greene,  Washington  and  a  part  of  Alle- 
gheny counties,  this  now  being  three 
congressional  districts.  It  was  a  strongly 
Republican  district,  and  Mr.  Carr  suc- 
ceeded in  greatly  reducing  the  normal 
majority  of  that  party.  Almost  from  the 
time  of  his  entrance  into  the  political 
arena  he  had  been  a  member  of  the  Fay- 
ette County  Central  Committee,  and  had 
served  as  its  chairman  in  1902-03.  In 
1912  he  received  the  unanimous  nomina- 
tion of  the  Democratic  party,  and  was 
elected  to  the  Sixty-third  Congress  by  ■ 
12,211  votes,  his  Republican  opponent  re- 
ceiving 7,836;  the  candidate  of  the  Wash- 
ington Progressive  party  receiving  7,558; 
the  candidate  for  the  Socialist  party  hav- 
ing 2,928,  and  the  candidate  for  the  Pro- 
hibition party  receiving  942  votes. 

Mr.  Carr  is  a  past  master  of  Fayette 
Lodge,  No.  228,  Free  and  Accepted  Ma- 
sons ;  a  companion  of  Uniontown  Chap- 
ter, No.  165,  Royal  Arch  Masons ;  past 
eminent  commander  of  Uniontown  Com- 
mandery,  No.  49,  Knights  Templar; 
member  of  Uniontown  Lodge  of  Perfec- 
tion, Ancient  Accepted  Scottish  Rite,  and 
past  exalted  ruler  of  Uniontown  Lodge, 
No.  370,  Benevolent  and  Protective  Order 
of  Elks.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian church,  and  his  wife  is  an  Epis- 
copalian. 

Mr.  Carr  married,  October  21,  1903, 
Julia,  a  daughter  of  John  W.  and  Mar- 
garet (Lenox)  Kisinger,  of  Brownsville, 
Pennsylvania,  and  they  have  one  child: 
John  D.,  the  third.  Mr.  Carr  is  public 
spirited  to  a  high  degree  and  is  active  in 
all  efforts  to  promote  the  public  welfare. 
While  he  is  a  strong  supporter  of  the 
principles  of  the  party  with  which  he 
affiliates,  he  stands  only  for  good  govern- 
ment and  clean  political  methods.     He  is 


2125 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


an  eloquent  and  forcible  speaker,  and  on 
the  political  platform  his  personal  mag- 
netism is  a  strong  factor.  He  and  his 
wife  occupy  foremost  places  in  the  social 
life  of  the  city. 


CORR,  Bernard, 

Philantliropist. 

The  late  Bernard  Corr,  of  Philadelphia, 
was  one  of  those  natives  of  Old  Ireland 
who  had  come  to  the  United  States  as  a 
mere  lad  with  nothing  in  the  way  of 
worldly  possessions  save  the  clothes  on 
his  back  and  a  few  cents  in  his  pockets, 
and  by  patient  perseverance,  indomitable 
energy  and  the  exercise  of  a  strong  will, 
he  wrought  out  for  himself  a  marvellous 
degree  of  success. 

The   early   boyhood   of   Mr.    Corr  was 
just  another  chapter  of  the  "short   and 
simple  annals  of  the  poor,"  and,  like  most 
of  the  Irish  folk  of  that  day,  his  oppor- 
tunities for  education  were  meagre.    But 
he    was    energetic    and    ambitious    and 
sought     for     larger     opportunities     for 
achievement,  and  while  still  in  his  teens 
he  left    the  humble    home  and  its    pic- 
turesque surroundings  in  Ireland,  where 
the   Corr  homestead   still   stands   to   the 
present  time  (1914),  and  set  sail  for  this 
country,  where  he  had  been  preceded  by 
an  older  brother,  John.     His  first  occu- 
pation here  consisted  in  "hiring  out,"  as 
was  the  custom  in  those  days,  and  picking 
up  such   employment  as  came  to  hand. 
Subsequently    he    went   to    Washington, 
only  to  return  to  Philadelphia  in  a  short 
time.    He  engaged  in  the  hotel  business, 
and  within  a  few  years,  with  his  slender 
savings,  entered  upon  a  mercantile  career 
on  his  own  account.    The  next  few  years 
were  years  of  struggle  that  would  prob- 
ably have  discouraged  a  person  less  de- 
termined than  Mr.  Corr.     He  was  a  man 
of     powerful     physique     and     enormous 
energy,  and  he    had  a    way  of    making 


things  bend  to  his  will.  As  soon  as  he 
began  to  prosper  he  reinvested  his  profits 
largely  in  real  estate,  and  finally  he  came 
to  acquire,  at  one  time,  about  seventy 
acres  of  what  is  now  the  very  heart  of 
the  northern  part  of  Philadelphia,  just 
north  of  Columbia  avenue,  and  the 
greater  part  of  this  property  is  still  in 
possession  of  the  family.  With  one  or 
two  exceptions  he  was  singularly  suc- 
cessful in  all  of  these  real  estate  trans- 
actions. Then  he  turned  his  attention  to 
stocks,  and  he  was  even  more  successful 
in  that  field,  selling  sometimes  at  enor- 
mous profit.  He  possessed  a  keen  busi- 
ness foresight  and  was  able  to  measure 
the  possibilities  of  an  investment  with 
remarkable  accuracy.  He  was  a  close 
reader  of  human  nature,  and  this  faculty, 
coupled  with  his  native  shrewdness, 
served  him  well.  On  all  business  mat- 
ters in  general  Mr.  Corr  was  wonderfully 
well  posted,  and  his  opinion  was  fre- 
quently sought  by  men  high  in  financial 
circles.  Time  and  again  he  was  urged 
to  become  a  director  of  many  prominent 
banking  institutions,  but  he  would  never 
allow  his  name  to  be  used  in  this  way, 
knowing  that  it  was  not  possible  for  him 
to  devote  to  such  duties  the  time  that  he 
thought  a  director  should.  But  the  one 
thing  that  will  cause  the  name  of  Mr. 
Corr  to  be  remembered  and  cherished 
throughout  the  years  was  his  great 
liberality  toward  the  church.  An  ardent 
Roman  Catholic,  he  gave  with  a  lavish 
hand  to  churches  everywhere.  His  bene- 
factions extended  even  to  foreign  lands, 
and  thousands  of  his  faith  are  today  en- 
joying the  fruit  of  his  generosity..  His 
largest  single  gift  was  tO'  the  Order  of 
St.  Augustine  at  Villanova,  for  whom  he 
erected  "Corr  Memorial  Hall"  at  a  cost 
of  $100,000.  Altogether  Mr.  Corr's  gifts 
totalled  over  $400,000. 

Mr.  Corr  always  lived  in  Philadelphia 
from   the  time  he  came    to  the    United 
126 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


States  and  was  always  very  active  up  to 
the  time  of  his  last  illness.  He  was  very 
fond  of  travel,  and  in  his  later  years  he 
would  get  away  occasionally,  always  tak- 
ing with  him  some  of  his  children,  to 
whom  he  was  greatly  devoted.  Four 
daughters  survive,  namely:  Mrs.  James 
E.  Gorman,  Mrs.  Charles  J.  Jones,  Mrs. 
Nicholas  J.  Griffin,  Jr.,  Mrs.  J.  Stanley 
Smith,  all  of  Philadelphia. 


TAYLOR,  Bayard, 

Traveler,    Poet,    Lectarer,   Diplomat. 

Bayard  Taylor  was  born  in  Kennett 
Square,  Chester  county,  Pennsylvania, 
January  ii,  1825,  son  of  Joseph  and  Re- 
becca (Way)  Taylor,  grandson  of  John 
and  Ann  (Bucher)  Taylor;  and  a  de- 
scendant of  Robert  Taylor,  of  Little 
Leigh,  Cheshire,  England,  and  of  Benja- 
min Mendenhall,  who  immigrated  to  the 
United  States  with  William  Penn  in 
1681,  the  former  settling  near  Brandy- 
wine  Creek,  and  the  latter  at  Concord, 
Pennsylvania,  and  of  Melchior  Breneman, 
a  Mennonite  minister,  whose  grand- 
father came  from  Switzerland  in  1709, 
and  settled  in  Lancaster  county. 

Bayard  Taylor  was  named  for  James 
A.  Bayard,  of  Delaware,  and  originally 
signed  his  name  J.  Bayard  Taylor.  In 
1829  the  family  removed  to  Hazeldell 
farm,  in  East  Marlborough  township, 
which  was  part  of  the  original  land- 
grant  made  by  William  Penn  to  Robert 
Taylor.  At  the  age  of  six  he  attended 
a  Quaker  school,  and  in  1837-40  was  a 
student  at  Bolmar's  Academy,  West 
Chester,  Pennsylvania.  He  completed  his 
education  at  Unionville  Academy,  1840- 
42,  serving  as  tutor  during  his  course ; 
and  while  so  engaged  he  collected  a 
mineralogical  cabinet  and  an  herbarium, 
and  attempted  drawing  and  painting. 
His  first  essay,  "On  the  Art  of  Painting," 
was   read  before   the   Kennett    Literary 


Circle,  1838;  a  description  of  a  visit  to  the 
Brandywine  battlefield  appeared  in  the 
"West  Chester  Register"  in  1840,  and  his 
first  published  poem,  "The  Soliloquy  of  a 
Young  Poet,"  appeared  in  the  "Saturday 
Evening  Post"  in  1841.  He  was  appren- 
ticed to  Henry  E.  Evans,  printer  and 
publisher  of  the  "Village  Record,"  West 
Chester,  1842-44,  where  he  continued  the 
study  of  German  and  Spanish,  and  aided 
in  organizing  "The  Thespians,"  a  dra- 
matic society.  Through  the  friendly  in- 
terest of  Rufus  W.  Griswold  he  published 
and  sold  by  subscription,  "Ximena,  and 
Other  Poems"  in  February,  1844.  After 
reading  "The  Tourist  in  Europe,"  he  was 
consumed  with  a  desire  to  travel  abroad, 
and  to  that  end  sold  several  of  his  poems, 
and  by  the  advice  of  Nathaniel  P.  Willis 
applied  to  J.  R.  Chandler,  of  the  "United 
States  Gazette,"  and  S.  D.  Patterson,  of 
the  "New  York  Post,"  who  each  engaged 
him  as  a  foreign  correspondent,  paying 
him  fifty  dollars  in  advance.  These 
orders  were  supplemented  by  an  order 
from  Horace  Greelev  for  contributions  to 
"The  Tribune,"  and  he  sailed  for  Oxford 
in  July,  1844.  He  made  a  pedestrian 
tour  through  Scotland,  England  and  Bel- 
gium ;  spent  the  winter  of  1845  ^^  Frank- 
fort, Germany,  in  the  home  of  Richard 
S.  Willis,  American  consul,  perfecting  his 
knowledge  of  the  German  language ;  and 
continued  his  walking  tour  in  the  spring 
through  Bohemia,  Moravia,  and  Vienna, 
to  Florence,  Italy,  where  he  began  the 
study  of  Italian.  He  embarked  in  Janu- 
ary, 1846,  as  a  deck  passenger  for  Mar- 
seilles. Upon  his  arrival  in  Lyons,  he 
was  suffering  from  lack  of  food  and 
clothes,  and  from  exposure,  and  was 
obliged  to  send  for  funds  to  Paris,  which 
city  he  reached  in  February.  While  in 
London,  awaiting  aid  from  home,  he  was 
employed  in  making  out  catalogues  and 
in  packing  books  by  Mr.  Putnam,  Lon- 
don agent  of  the  American  publishing 
27 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


firm.  He  arrived  in  New  York  City  on 
June  I,  1846.  He  visited  Boston,  and 
published  anonymously  "The  Norse- 
man's Ride,"  1846-47,  which  Whittier 
copied  in  the  "National  Era,"  and  which 
through  correspondence  led  to  a  loyal 
friendship  with  the  poet.  He  was  asso- 
ciate editor  of  "The  Pioneer,"  Phoenix- 
ville,  Pennsylvania,  1846-47,  and  publish- 
ed his  foreign  letters  as  "Views  Afoot," 
in  December,  1847.  ^^  the  following 
January  he  removed  to  New  York,  where 
he  was  first  employed  by  Charles  Fenno 
Hoffman,  and  as  a  teacher  of  belles-lettres 
in  Miss  Green's  school.  Later  he  was 
connected  with  "The  Tribune,"  of  which 
he  became  a  stockholder  in  1849.  He 
was  editor  of  "The  Union  Magazine  and 
Christian  Inquirer,"  from  March  to  Sep- 
tember, 1848;  wrote  book-reviews  for 
George  R.  Graham ;  and  was  New  York 
correspondent  for  the  "Saturday  Evening 
Post."  He  was  ofifered  the  permanent 
editorship  of  "Graham's  Magazine," 
which  did  not  materialize,  owing  to  the 
financial  condition  of  the  paper.  Through 
Hoffman,  with  whom  he  lived,  and  N. 
P.  Willis,  he  was  introduced  to  the  liter- 
ary and  social  circles  of  New  York.  As 
correspondent  of  "The  Tribune,"  he  in- 
vestigated the  gold  fields  in  California  in 
1849-50,  an  account  of  his  observations 
appearing  the  same  year  in  "Eldorado." 
On  October  24,  1850,  he  was  married  to 
Mary  S.  Agnew,  who  died  the  following 
December  21. 

After  editing  the  "Cyclopaedia  of  Liter- 
ature and  Fine  Arts,"  Mr.  Taylor  sailed 
as  "Tribune"  correspondent  for  Liver- 
pool, April  19,  1851.  He  spent  some  time 
in  London,  and  arrived  in  Alexandria  on 
November  i,  1851.  He  traveled  up  the 
"White  Nile  ;"  subsequently  visited  Pales- 
tine, Sicily,  Italy,  Spain,  and  Asia  Minor; 
and  in  May,  1853,  under  the  auspices  of 
"The  Tribune,"  joined  Commodore 
Perry's  expedition  to  Japan,  enlisting  as 

21 


master's  mate,  and  resigning  after  four 
months'  service.  While  in  Japan,  Hum- 
phrey Marshall,  United  States  commis- 
sioner, offered  to  attach  him  to  his  staff. 

He  reached  New  York  on  December 
20,  1853.  He  lectured  on  "The  Arabs," 
"India,"  and  "Japan  and  Loo  Choo,"  1854- 
55  ;  wrote  voluminously,  and  was  engaged 
in  building  a  summer  residence  on  Pusey 
farm,  near  Kennett,  Pennsylvania.  His 
health  failing  in  July,  1855,  he  revisited 
Germany,  taking  with  him  his  sisters  and 
brother,  and  on  December  i,  1856,  set  out 
for  Norway  and  Lapland,  which  journey 
he  described  in  "Northern  Travel" 
(1857).  He  married  (second)  in  Octo- 
ber, 1857,  Marie,  daughter  of  Peter  An- 
dreas Hansen,  of  Gotha,  Germany,  astron- 
omer and  director  of  the  Ducal  Observa- 
tory, and  they  had  one  child,  Lilian,  born 
August  3,  1858,  who  married  Dr.  Kiliani, 
of  Halle,  Germany.  His  wife  translated 
several  of  his  works  into  German,  and 
subsequently  edited  his  poems,  plays  and 
essays. 

After  his  marriage,  Mr.  Taylor  visited 
Greece,  Poland  and  Russia,  and  arrived 
at  Kennett  Square,  Pennsylvania,  on  Oc- 
tober 24,  1858.  He  continued  his  connec- 
tion with  "The  Tribune ;"  contributed 
literary  sketches  of  travel  to  the  "New 
York  Mercury ;"  conducted  extensive  lec- 
ture tours,  and  dedicated  his  new  home, 
"Cedarcroft,"  by  a  famous  house-warm- 
ing. October  18-19,  i860.  In  1861  his 
contributions  to  the  press  were  "trumpet 
calls"  to  the  defence  of  the  Republic, 
"Scott  and  the  Veteran"  rousing  the 
greatest  enthusiasm,  and,  guarded  by  a 
force  of  police,  he  defended  George  Wi'- 
liam  Curtis  in  an  oration  delivered  m 
Brooklyn  and  in  Philadelphia.  In  May, 
1862,  he  was  appointed  secretary  to 
Simon  Cameron,  United  States  Minister 
to  Russia;  he  was  charge  d'affaires  at  St. 
Petersburg,  September-May,  1863,  when 
he  resigned,  and  for  a  time  was  occupied 
28 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


in  the  study  of  the  life  of  Goethe  in 
Gotha,  returning  to  the  United  States 
upon  the  death  of  his  brother,  Colonel 
Frederic  Taylor,  at  Gettysburg.  The 
year  1867  he  spent  in  European  travel,  in 
letter  writing  and  painting;  translated 
"Faust"  at  Corsica,  in  1868;  was  non- 
resident lecturer  on  German  literature  at 
Cornell  University,  1870-77,  subsequently 
repeating  the  lectures  before  the  Pea- 
body  Institute,  Baltimore;  visited  Cali- 
fornia for  his  health  in  the  spring  of 
1870;  lectured  upon  earliest  German 
literature  in  Ithaca,  New  York,  in  1871, 
and  the  same  year  was  associate  editor  of 
Scribner's  "Library  of  Travel."  In  conse- 
quence of  financial  embarrassment,  he 
leased  "Cedarcroft,"  and  removed  to 
New  York,  whence  he  sailed,  June  6, 
1872,  for  Weimar,  Germany,  to  collect 
materials  for  his  lives  of  Goethe  and 
Schiller,  and  where  in  January,  1873,  he 
repeated  a  lecture  given  in  Hamburg  the 
previous  December,  on  American  liter- 
ature, for  the  benefit  of  the  Frauenverein, 
the  whole  court  being  present.  Obliged 
to  seek  Italy  for  his  health,  he  reported 
the  Vienna  exhibition  of  1873  for  "The 
Tribune,"  contributed  the  Cairo  letters, 
February-April,  1874,  and  as  press  corre- 
spondent visited  Iceland  on  the  occasion 
of  its  millennial  anniversary.  He  returned 
to  New  York,  September  9,  1874;  collect- 
ed and  published  his  letters  on  Egypt 
and  Iceland;  and  was  engaged  in  lectur- 
ing, edited  Appleton's  "Picturesque  Eu- 
rope," and  in  1876  resumed  daily  work 
on  "The  Tribune." 

He  was  appointed  United  States  Minis- 
ter to  Germany  by  President  Hayes  in 
February,  1878,  his  appointment  being  the 
occasion  of  many  receptions  and  banquets 
in  his  honor.  He  was  made  an  honorary 
member  of  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  society  of 
Harvard  College  in  1850,  writing  at  its 
request  the  commencement  poem  of  that 
year,  "The  American  Legend."    He  was  a 


member  of  the  Century  Association  from 
1851 ;  composed  the  "Gettysburg  Ode" 
for  the  dedication  of  the  national  monu- 
ment, July  I,  1869;  the  "Shakespearian 
Statue,"  for  the  unveiling  of  Ward's 
statue  in  Central  Park,  New  York,  May 
23,  1872;  and  was  requested  to  write  the 
national  ode  for  the  United  States  Cen- 
tennial Exhibition  at  Philadelphia,  July 
4,  1876.  In  addition  to  his  translation  of 
Faust  (Part  I.,  1870;  Part  II.,  1872),  his 
miscellaneous  works  include:  "Hannah 
Thurston"  (1863)  ;  "John  Godfrey's  For- 
tunes" (1864)  ;  "The  Story  of  Kennett" 
(1866)  ;  "Joseph  and  His  Friend"  (1870)  ; 
"Beauty  and  the  Beast,  and  Tales  of 
Home""  (1872);  "A  School  History  of 
Germany"  (1874)  ;  "The  Echo  Club" 
('1876)  ;  "Boys  of  Other  Countries" 
(1876)  ;  "Studies  in  German  Literature" 
(1879)  ;  "Critical  Essays  and  Literary 
Notes"  (1880)  ;  the  two  latter  works  were 
edited  by  his  wife  (previously  mention- 
ed by  name).  His  works  of  travel, 
not  already  mentioned,  include :  "A  Jour- 
ney to  Central  Africa,"  and  "The  Land 
of  the  Saracen"  (1854)  ;  "A  Visit  to  India. 
China  and  Japan"  (1855)  ;  "Travels  in 
Greece  and  Rome"  (1859)  ;  "At  Home 
and  Abroad"  (first  series,  1859;  second, 
1862);  "Colorado:  A  Summer  Trip" 
(1867);  "By-Ways  of  Europe"  (1869). 
He  was  author  of  the  following  dramas : 
"The  Golden  Wedding,"  a  masque 
(1868)  ;  "The  Masque  of  the  Gods" 
(1872)  ;  "The  Prophet"  (1874),  and  of  the 
poems  (not  already  noted)  :  "Rhymes  of 
Travel,  Ballads  and  Poems"  (1849)  !  "-^ 
Book  of  Romances,  Lyrics  and  Songs," 
(1851)  ;  "Poems  of  the  Orient"  (1854); 
"Poems  of  Home  and  Travel"  (1855)  ; 
"The  Poet's  Journal"  (1862)  ;  "The 
Poems  of  Bayard  Taylor"  (1864)  ;  "The 
Picture  of  St.  John"  (1866);  "Lars: 
a  Pastoral  of  Norway"  (1873)  ;  "Home 
Pastorals,  Ballads  and  Lyrics"  (1875). 
The  "Poetical  Works  and  the  Dramatic 
29 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Works  of  Bayard  Taylor"  were  edited  by 
his  wife,  and  published  posthumously 
(1880). 

Bayard  Taylor  died  in  Berlin,  Ger- 
many, just  after  the  publication  of  his 
"Prince  Deukalion,"  December  19,  1878. 
His  body  was  brought  to  America  on 
March  13,  1879,  and  lay  in  state  in  the 
New  York  City  Hall,  where  an  oration 
was  delivered  by  Algernon  S.  Sullivan, 
and  was  buried  in  the  Hicksite  Cemetery, 
Longwood,  Pennsylvania.  "In  Memo- 
riam"  verses  were  published  by  his 
friends,  Stedman,  Stoddard  and  Boker, 
and  a  monody  was  composed  by  T.  B. 
Aldrich.  The  date  of  his  death  was  De- 
cember 19,  1878. 


ROTHERMEL,  Peter  Frederick, 

Diating^islied  American  Fainter. 

Greatest  among  all  great  American 
painters,  no  artist  of  the  past  brought 
more  deserved  fame  to  his  country 
than  Peter  F.  Rothermel,  the  celebrated 
historical  painter,  a  native  of  the  State  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  few  painters  attained 
so  great  a  degree  of  popularity.  His  suc- 
cess was  based  upon  sincere,  conscien- 
tious work,  and  his  fame  as  America's 
greatest  artist  will  forever  endure.  His 
work  covered  a  wide  field,  and  although 
many  of  his  canvases  won  sincere  ad- 
miration, he  is  best  known  to  the  pub- 
lic generally  and  is  best  remembered  as 
the  painter  that  gave  to  America  "The 
Battle  of  Gettysburg,"  a  superb  depic- 
tion of  that  memorable  conflict,  and  one 
which  conveys  the  truest,  most  realistic 
and  most  impressive  picture  of  the  Amer- 
ican soldier  in  battle.  In  the  masterly 
handling  of  details,  in  skillful  and  effec- 
tive grouping,  in  the  nice  adjustment  and 
management  of  accessories,  Mr.  Rother- 
mel as  a  painter  had  few  equals.  As  a 
colorist  he  held  a  position  peculiarly  his 
own,   and   his   influence   upon   the   trend 

2 


and  purpose  of  American  art  was  wide 
and  lasting.  His  original  powers  in 
creative  fancy  were  rare,  he  was  a 
scholarly  student  of  all  that  pertained  to 
his  art,  and  especially  well  read  and  well 
informed  in  romantic  history,  a  branch 
of  study  he  made  a  distinct  specialty. 

Peter  Frederick  Rothermel  was  born 
at  Nescopack,  Luzerne  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, July  18,  1812,  died  at  Linfield, 
Pennsylvania,  August  15,  1895.  His  early 
boyhood  was  spent  in  the  country,  and 
his  first  desire  to  become  a  painter  was 
expressed  after  watching  the  village  sign 
painter  at  work.  He  obtained  pencils 
and  brushes,  and  probably  no  work  of 
his  after  life  gave  him  greater  satisfac- 
tion than  he  experienced  the  day  he  com- 
pleted a  highly  colored  pictorial  sign 
which  was  deemed  worthy  of  a  place  in 
front  of  his  father's  hotel.  Later  Mr. 
Rothermel,  Sr.,  became  host  of  the  Eagle 
Hotel,  on  Third  street,  Philadelphia,  an 
inn  then  and  long  afterward  one  of  the 
leading  hotels  of  the  city. 

The  future  painter  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools,  and  it  was  no  part  of  his 
father's  plan  that  he  should  "waste  time 
in  daubing,"  but  should  learn  a  useful 
calling,  something  practical.  He  there- 
fore had  him  taught  surveying  and  civil 
engineering,  but  as  the  lad  grew  older 
his  strong  desire  and  love  for  art  drew 
him  so  greatly  from  that  pursuit  that 
his  father  relented,  and  at  about  the  age 
of  twenty-two  he  was  free  to  change  the 
surveying  instruments  for  palette  and 
brushes.  Mr.  Rothermel  began  his  art 
studies  with  great  enthusiasm  under  John 
R.  Smith,  who  gave  him  drawing  lessons, 
and  continued  under  Bass  Otis,  then  a 
famous  portrait  painter.  The  young 
student  quickly  displayed  his  genius,  and 
in  a  few  years  had  become  known  in  the 
artistic  world  as  possessing  unusual 
talent.  At  the  age  of  thirty  years  he 
married  Caroline  Goodhart,  of  an  old 
130 


£''^.fy£:£^ft'^^t>^  <S^rv..^ir 


■^ 


f  ^"Tfrv^t  /&fejfar«w/'5W- 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Philadelphia  family,  and  from  that  time 
he  settled  down  to  earnest  work,  open- 
ing a  studio  in  Art  Row,  Sansom  street, 
below  Eighth  street.  As  he  gained  ex- 
perience and  a  consciousness  of  his  own 
powers,  he  essayed  elaborate  figure  paint- 
ings, his  "Columbus  Before  the  Queen" 
fairly  starting  him  upon  the  road  to  fame. 
This  was  followed  by  "De  Soto  Discover- 
ing the  Mississippi,"  which  securely 
placed  him  before  the  public.  At  about 
this  time  Prescott's  historical  work,  "The 
Conquest  of  Mexico,"  appeared,  and  its 
thrilling  incidents  inspired  Mr.  Rother- 
mel's  brush,  with  the  result  that  he  added 
another  great  historical  painting  to  those 
which  had  preceded  it,  "Cortez  Address- 
ing his  Troops  Within  Sight  of  the  Val- 
ley of  Mexico." 

During  those  years  Mr.  Rothermel,  in 
addition  to  establishing  his  own  fame, 
was  closely  identified  with  two  important 
art  movements  in  Philadelphia,  the 
growth  of  the  Artists'  Fund  Society,  and 
the  development  of  the  Schools  of  the 
Academy  of  the  Fine  Arts.  The  Artists' 
Fund  Society,  of  which  he  was  for  many 
years  an  active  member,  was  incorpo- 
rated in  1835.  Its  meetings  were  the 
means  of  kindling  enthusiasm  among  the 
artists  of  the  city,  and  almost  every 
painter  of  distinction  in  Philadelphia  was 
a  member.  Mr.  Rothermel  was  a  director 
of  the  Academy  of  the  Fine  Arts  from 
1847  until  1855. 

In  1856  he  went  abroad,  remaining  four 
years,  two  of  which  were  spent  in  Rome. 
He  also  visited  and  studied  in  other 
Italian  cities,  in  England,  France,  Ger- 
many and  Belgium.  During  his  Euro- 
pean sojourn  he  received  warm  recogni- 
tion and  evidences  that  his  talents  were 
appreciated.  He  painted  for  the  Grand 
Duchess  Helena  of  Russia  a  canvas  en- 
titled "The  Virtuoso,"  a  picture  repre- 
senting an  old  connoisseur,  grave  and  in- 
tellectual, absorbed   in  his  book.     Addi- 


tional interest  is  attached  to  "The  Vir- 
tuoso" by  the  fact  that  the  old  connois- 
seur is  a  portrait  of  Mrs.  Rothermel's 
father.  In  Rome  he  painted  a  "Saint 
Agnes"  for  Count  Kushelefif  and  "ITie 
Meeting  of  Reubens  and  Van  Dyke."  In 
i860  he  returned  to  the  United  States 
and  began  a  series  of  paintings  illustrat- 
ing the  life  of  the  Apostle  Paul.  One  of 
these,  the  original  study  of  the  large  pic- 
ture, "Paul  Before  Agrippa,"  was  pre- 
sented to  the  Academy  of  the  Fine  Arts, 
Philadelphia,  by  James  L.  Claghorn,  in 
1878;  another,  "Paul  at  Ephesus,"  was 
presented  by  Mrs.  Matthew  Baird  in 
1887.  The  academy  also  owns  the  "Em- 
barkation of  Columbus  at  Palos,"  pre- 
sented by  Joseph  Dugan.  Mr.  Rother- 
mel's "Shylock  and  Portia,"  in  the  "Judg- 
ment Scenes,"  was  sold  to  the  Art  Union 
of  New  York.  Others  of  his  most  cele- 
brated paintings  are,  "Hypatia;"  "The 
Christian  Martyrs  in  the  Colisseum,"  a 
most  magnificent  work;  "Patrick  Henry 
Before  the  Virginia  House  of  Burgesses;" 
"The  Judgment  of  Solomon ;"  "The  Mas- 
sacre of  the  Sicillian  Vespers."  His 
famous  painting,  the  "Battle  of  Gettys- 
burg," was  executed  on  an  order  from 
the  Legislature  of  the  State  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  is  one  of  the  largest  canvases 
in  the  achievement  of  American  art.  No 
painting  of  modern  times  has  been  the 
center  of  more  admiring  interest,  than 
that  impressive  realization  in  color,  of 
the  most  tremendous  conflict  of  the  Civil 
War.  Many  of  the  faces  in  the  picture 
are  actual  likenesses,  and  General  Meade 
personally  sat  for  the  artist.  This  great 
canvas  passed  through  the  Chicago  fire, 
and  now  hangs  in  the  new  capitol  at 
Harrisburg,  in  a  place  built  for  it.  Albert 
Rosenthal,  the  celebrated  painter,  exam- 
ined the  painting  at  the  request  of  then 
Governor  Pennypacker,  and  pronounced 
it  in  good  condition  and  the  finest  picture 
in  America. 


2131 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


This  famous  American  artist  died  at 
the  age  of  eighty-four  years,  at  his  pic- 
turesque home,  Linfield,  Montgomery 
county,  Pennsylvania,  his  summer  resi- 
dence during  the  later  years  of  life. 


ROTHERMEL,  Peter  Fred,  Jr., 

Accomplislied  Trial  Iia'wyer. 

Learned  in  the  law,  skilled  in  all  its 
intricacies,  with  a  broad  knowledge  of 
life  and  a  full  comprehension  of  the  mo- 
tive springs  of  human  conduct,  Mr.  Roth- 
ermel  is  equally  well  qualified  for  the 
quiet  of  council  or  the  conflict  of  the 
court  room.  Thoroughly  furnished  by 
learning  and  experience,  he  possesses  re- 
sources that  never  fail.  A  recognized 
leader  of  the  Philadelphia  bar,  large  cor- 
porate interests  are  confidently  commit- 
ted to  his  care,  his  many  private  clients 
are  faithfully  served,  but  the  cares  of  his 
profession  do  not  preclude  his  active 
interest  in  all  that  pertains  to  good  citi- 
zenship nor  an  appreciation  of  art  and  an 
enjoyment  of  literature  and  keen  delight 
in  social  companionship. 

The  Rothermel  name,  literally  "red 
sleeve,"  was  brought  to  Pennsylvania 
from  Holland  in  1703,  settlement  being 
made  in  the  Wyoming  Valley  region, 
Philadelphia  and  other  parts  of  the  State 
later  attracting  members  of  the  family. 

Mr.  Rothermel's  grandfather  came  to 
Philadelphia  from  Luzerne  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  had  a  very  large  acquaint- 
ance among  both  city  and  country  folk. 

Peter  Frederick  Rothermel,  the  great- 
est painter  of  historical  pictures,  whose 
life  story  is  told  on  a  preceding  page  in 
this  work,  was  born  in  Luzerne  county, 
but  married  in  Philadelphia,  and  there 
won  his  artistic  fame.  His  first  home  was 
on  Sansom  street,  between  Seventh  and 
Eighth  streets,  one  room  of  the  house 
his   studio.     There  his   son,   Peter   Fred 


Rothermel  (2),  was  born,  and  spent  the 
first  seven  years  of  his  life. 

P.  Fred  Rothermel  (his  usual  signa- 
ture) was  born  September  ly,  1850.  His 
father  spent  the  years  of  1856-60  in  Eu- 
rope studying  his  art  and  painting,  living 
two  years  in  Rome,  and  visiting  the 
other  great  European  art  centers  of 
France,  Germany,  Italy,  Belgium  and 
England.  He  was  accompanied  by  his 
family,  young  Peter  pursuing  courses  of 
study  in  the  cities  in  which  the  family 
resided,  particularly  in  Rome.  On  the 
return  to  Philadelphia  in  i860  he  con- 
tinued study  in  the  public  schools,  and 
was  graduated  from  Central  High  School, 
class  of  1867.  He  then  began  the  study 
of  law  and  after  thorough  preparation 
was  admitted  to  the  Philadelphia  bar.  He 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1872,  and  from 
that  time  until  the  present  has  been  con- 
tinually in  practice.  He  has  won  high 
and  honorable  standing  in  his  profession, 
and  has  been  connected  with  many  of  the 
notable  cases  brought  before  the  Phil- 
adelphia courts.  His  practice  is  very 
large  and  extends  to  all  State  and  Federal 
courts  of  the  district.  He  is  wise  in 
council,  but  at  his  very  best  as  a  trial 
lawyer.  There  his  resourcefulness  is 
most  conspicuous,  and  the  sledgehammer 
quality  of  his  attack  only  equalled  by  the 
skill  of  his  defense.  He  is  absolutely 
fair  in  his  methods,  but  neither  gives  nor 
"asks  quarter"  in  his  legal  battles.  He 
never  surrenders  until  the  verdict  has 
been  rendered,  and  when  finally  beaten 
has  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  he 
has  performed  his  full  duty.  It  is  said  of 
him  that  he  is  never  so  dangerous  an 
opponent  as  at  that  point  when  appar- 
ently beaten. 

Perhaps  his  wonderful  powers  of  re- 
source, "die  in  the  last  ditch"  spirit,  was 
never  better  illustrated  than  in  the 
famous  case  of  Henderson,  Hull  &  Com- 


2132 


Zhff.  iif^4^  ff^/AoTis  £^r^. 


/^Sft^^*c**^S^e>J'fj, 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


pany     vs. 


Railroad     Company. 


Buildings  of  the  plaintiff  company  had 
been  destroyed  by  fire,  caused,  it  was 
alleged,  by  a  spark  from  a  locomotive 
belonging  to  the  defendant  company. 
Mr.  Rothermel  as  counsel  for  the  plain- 
tiff had  won  three  separate  verdicts  in 
common  pleas,  two  of  them  having  been 
set  aside  by  the  higher  court  on  appeal. 
The  case  had  reached  the  Superior  Court 
of  the  State,  and  he  was  confronted  by 
the  highest  legal  talent;  he  must  prove 
the  faulty  construction  of  the  smoke 
stack  of  the  alleged  offending  locomo- 
tive. Evidence  of  witnesses  was  seem- 
ingly valueless,  but  he  had  a  last  resource, 
and  that  won  him  victory.  He  secured 
from  the  Baldwin  Locomotive  Works  a 
locomotive  of  the  same  type,  persuaded 
judge,  jury  and  counsel  in  the  case  to 
don  overalls  and  explore  the  interior  of 
the  engine  (which  of  course  was  cold) 
They  crawled  through  the  accessible 
parts  of  the  engine,  emerging  one  by  one 
from  the  smokestack,  begrimed,  but  con- 
vinced. Mr.  Rothermel  won  the  verdict, 
which  was  reaffirmed  on  later  appeal  to 
the  Supreme  Court.  Another  equally 
"forlorn  hope"  he  led  to  victory  was  as 
counsel  for  the  plaintiff  against  a  railroad 
company.  The  plaintiff  had  both  legs  cut 
off  at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  by  a 
train  drawn  by  a  locomotive  whose  head- 
light had  been  extinguished.  Mr.  Roth- 
ermel's  claim  was,  that  without  a  head- 
light the  approaching  train  could  not  be 
seen  at  that  hour  in  the  morning.  To 
prove  his  contention  he  introduced  as  a 
witness  the  professor  of  astronomy  from 
the  high  school,  and  by  means  of  an  as- 
tronomical chart  and  an  array  of  vials 
filled  with  water  and  ink,  showed  to  the 
jury  the  exact  degree  of  light  for  every 
minute  between  the  hours  of  five  and 
seven  a.  m.  on  the  day  of  the  accident. 
He  won  his  case  and  a  verdict  for  $20,000 
damages. 


Numerous  cases  scarcely  less  spectac- 
ular could  be  related  and  court  records 
teem  with  his  cases.  He  is  one  of  the 
foremost  exponents  of  corporate  law  and 
and  is  counsel  for  important  corporations. 
His  knowledge  of  law  and  precedent  is 
all  comprehensive  and  he  is  never  taken 
by  surprise.  His  pleading  is  terse,  logical 
and  convincing;  facts  are  presented  to  a 
jury  with  all  the  strength  of  his  splendid 
oratory,  but  under  all  the  eloquence  he 
may  bring  to  bear,  there  is  clear  and  co- 
gent reasoning,  and  a  fair,  correct  appli- 
cation of  the  legal  principles  involved. 

He  has  ever  been  a  lover  of  the  great 
"out-of-doors"  and  a  believer  in  that  doc- 
trine that  a  strong  physical  body  is  neces- 
sary to  full  mental  development  and  that 
physical  condition  is  as  important  a  factor 
in  winning  legal  battles  as  intellectual 
fitness.  In  former  years  he  was  a  well- 
known  pedestrian,  and  member  of  ath- 
letic and  boating  clubs,  notably  the 
Bachelors  Barge  Club,  and  on  the  Schuyl- 
kill and  in  the  mountains  spent  his  hours 
and  days  of  recreation.  While  youthful 
enthusiasm  has  waned  with  the  years,  he 
is  still  fond  of  such  pleasures  and  in- 
dulges liberally,  aiitomobiling  now  his 
passion. 

Courteous  and  polished  in  manner  with 
a  flavor  of  punctiliousness,  savoring  of 
what  is  expressed  in  the  term  "a  gentle- 
man of  the  old  school,"  he  yet  possesses 
those  qualities  of  good  fellowship  that 
causes  members  of  the  bar  and  friends 
who  admire  and  respect  him  to  call  him 
"Fred  Rothermel."  His  clubs  are  the 
Union  League,  Manufacturers,  Racquet, 
Country,  Lawyers,  Pen  and  Pencil, 
Clover,  Civic  and  Corinthian  Yacht.  He 
belongs  to  various  law  associations  and 
is  interested  in  all  that  pertains  to  civic 
or  national  progress.  Still  in  the  prime 
of  his  powers,  he  stands  a  high  type  of 
American  manhood,  and  is  an  honor  to 
[33 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  profession  to  which  he  has  devoted 
the  strength  of  that  manhood. 

From  his  talented  and  honored  father 
he  inherits  true  artistic  tastes  and  is  an 
excellent  judge  of  art.  A  Republican 
and  ever  interested  in  politics,  he  has 
never  allowed  it  to  influence  his  work  as 
a  lawyer  nor  has  it  been  a  factor  in  his 
success  at  the  bar  .  As  district  attorney, 
he  proved  as  capable  and  resourceful  as 
in  his  civil  and  corporation  practice, 
administering  the  office  without  taint  of 
political  or  partisan  bias.  As  prosecut- 
ing attorney  he  was  in  charge  of  the 
Quay  conspiracy  case  and  strove  for  con- 
viction. For  more  than  two  decades  Mr. 
Rothermel  was  legal  adviser  to  that 
greatest  of  merchants,  John  Wanamaker. 
In  religious  affiliation  he  is  an  Episco- 
palian. 

He  married,  in  April,  1861,  Josephine 
G.  Bryant,  daughter  of  Walter  and 
Eleanor  (Henderson)  Bryant.  They  have 
a  son,  Peter  Fred  Rothermel  (3rd),  a 
graduate  of  Harvard  and  of  the  Law 
Department  of  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, now  associated  in  practice  with 
his  father  at  the  Philadelphia  bar. 


FARR,  John  R., 

Leader   in   Reform    Legislation. 

Often  when  men  become  converts  to  a 
principle,  dogma  or  creed,  they  become 
imbued  at  the  same  time  with  the  idea 
that  they  are  pioneers  or  discoverers  and 
claim  all  rights  and  titles  of  founders. 
But  long  before  the  word  progressive 
was  given  party  significance  we  had  Pro- 
gressives, men  of  mind  and  purpose  who, 
not  actuated  by  selfish  political  greed  or 
desire  for  personal  glory,  but  by  a  love 
of  humanity  and  a  sincere  desire  to 
advance  the  "common  good"  struggled 
with  grave  question  of  public  policy  in 
the  face  of  strong  opposition  and,  what 
is   oftener   a   worse   enemy   to   progress, 

2 


public  apathy.  It  is  to  these  true  pio- 
neers that  we  owe  present  child  labor 
laws,  free  schools  and  free  text  books, 
public  tuberculosis  sanitariums,  and  the 
many  laws  by  which  the  great  mass 
known  as  the  "common  people"  and  so- 
ciety at  large  have  been  so  benefited. 

Such  a  man  is  John  R.  Farr  of  Scran- 
ton,  whose  life  has  been  one  long  advo- 
cacy of  the  rights  of  children  to  an  edu- 
cation, and  a  protest  against  economic 
conditions  that  make  the  harder  the  lives 
of  those  who  toil.  In  his  private  and 
legislative  life  he  has  been  the  strong 
friend  of  progress,  and  worthy  of  par- 
ticular mention  was  his  battle  for  free 
text  books,  which  was  long  and  bitter. 
,Twice  he  was  defeated  by  gubernatorial 
veto  but  finally  won,  and  had  the  proud 
satisfaction  of  knowing  that  the  public 
schools  are  indeed  free,  a  consummation 
he  can  feel  is  one  of  the  successes  of  his 
own  life.  So,  too,  the  grave  question  of 
child  labor  has  had  in  him  a  lifelong 
champion,  Scranton  Hospital  a  strong 
friend  and  supporter,  and  every  public 
question  affecting  the  common  people  a 
loyal  upholder.  This  lifelong  devotion 
to  the  public  good  has  brought  him  the 
love  and  confidence  of  his  people,  and  it 
is  gratifying  to  know  that  whenever  his 
fitness  for  public  office  has  been  left  to 
their  decision  at  the  polls  the  result  has 
invariably  been  in  his  favor,  each  suc- 
ceeding verdict  being  given  with  a  greater 
enthusiasm  and  unanimity  than  the  pre- 
vious one.  A  progressive  long  before 
there  was  a  Progressive  party,  at  the 
birth  of  that  organization  in  1912  he  be- 
came its  leader  in  the  Scranton  district, 
and  when  sudden  converts  strove  to  give 
expression  to  their  new  found  enthusi- 
asm they  could  not  teach,  but  followed 
the  long  used  principles  of  the  true  pro- 
gressive. There  follows  the  life  story  of 
John  R.  Farr,  journalist,  humanitarian, 
and  statesman. 
134 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


The  life  of  John  R.  Farr  has  been  pass- 
ed, literally,  in  full  public  view,  and  he 
who  lives  in  this  white  light  of  publicity 
must  be  of  sound  fibre,  mentally  and 
morally.  From  youth  he  has  been  a 
worker  in  the  journalistic  field,  rising  to 
the  position  of  city  editor  of  the  Scran- 
ton  "Republican."  His  public  political 
career  began  in  i8go  with  his  election  to 
the  Pennsylvania  House  of  Assembly, 
and  has  since  continued  without  inter- 
ruption as  State  and  national  legislator. 
To  estimate  the  value  of  his  public  serv- 
ice would  be  to  perform  the  impossible, 
for  human  happiness,  as  increased 
Through  the  measures  he  has  introduced, 
championed,  and  brought  to  fruition, 
cannot  be  computed.  Every  child  in  the 
State  of  Pennsylvania  and  every  sufferer 
from  the  "great  white  plague"  is  his 
debtor,  while  the  business  interests,  the 
beneficiaries  from  rural  delivery,  and 
every  public  philanthropy  has  profited 
through  his  efforts  in  their  behalf. 

John  R.  Farr  was  born  in  Scranton. 
Pennsylvania,  and  there  obtained  a  sound, 
practical  English  education  in  the  public 
schools,  the  School  of  the  Lackawanna, 
and  Keystone  Academy.  He  then  enter- 
ed Phillips  Academy,  completing  his 
studies  at  Lafayette  College.  In  his 
early  years  he  learned  the  art  of  type- 
setting, and  after  leaving  college  sought 
employment  in  the  journalistic  field.  He 
formed  a  connection  with  the  "Scranton 
Republican,"  and  rose  from  desk  to  desk 
to  that  of  city  editor.  He  was  a  strong, 
forceful  writer,  and  as  a  journalist  be- 
came noted  for  his  championship  of  meas- 
ures then  deemed  little  short  of  revolu- 
tionary-. His  prominence  in  newspaper 
work  and  his  zeal  as  a  leader  in  economic 
thought  brought  him  into  public  notice, 
and  in  1890  he  was  made  the  nominee  of 
the  Republican  party  for  Assemblyman 
from  Lackawanna  county.    This  nomina- 


tion was  endorsed  at  the  polls  and  re- 
endorsed  in  1892,  1894,  1896  and  1898.  His 
career  in  the  house  was  marked  by  many 
milestones  of  progress,  and  to  him  is  dur 
the  authorship  and  final  passage  of  a  bill 
for  free  text  books  in  the  public  schools 
(1893),  compulsory  education  (1895). 
Other  measures  he  championed  have 
since  become  laws,  but  none  the  less  he 
and  others  of  similar  minds  are  the  true 
fathers  of  conservation  of  forests,  child 
labor  laws,  sanitariums  for  tuberculosis 
sufferers,  and  other  measures  of  deep  im- 
port credited  to  later  legislatures.  Dur- 
ing his  last  term  in  the  Legislature,  Mr. 
Farr  was  chosen  speaker  of  the  house, 
being  elected  January  3,  1899.  Later  he 
was  the  successful  nominee  of  his  party 
for  Congressman  from  the  Tenth  Con- 
gressional District  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
through  reelections  still  holds  that  im- 
portant office.  In  Congress  he  serves  on 
important  committees,  including  that  on 
naval  affairs,  and  has  won  high  standing 
in  national  politics  as  a  Progressive  Re- 
publican. The  public  building  at  Oly- 
phant  was  secured  during  his  first  year 
in  Congress,  and  through  his  efforts 
Scranton  was  recreated  a  revenue  dis- 
trict. He  is  a  strong,  convincing,  and 
pleasing  speaker,  and  in  his  speeches  in 
.Congress  always  commands  respectful, 
interested  attention  from  the  house.  He 
has  fulfilled  the  expectations  of  his 
friends  as  a  legislator,  and  in  word  and 
deed  proved  his  devotion  to  the  cause  of 
the  common  people. 

Mr.  Farr  has  been  a  forceful  factor  in 
civic  improvement,  and  to  his  efforts  and 
those  of  Judge  Edwards  in  aiding  Doc- 
tors Williams  and  Paine  is  due  the  found- 
ing of  the  West  Side  Hospital,  located  on 
Jackson  street,  in  Hyde  Park,  Scranton. 
To  his  zeal  and  interest  is  also  due  the 
organizing  of  the  West  Side  Board  of 
Trade. 


2135 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


DAVEY,  Isaiah, 

Business    Man,    Public    Official. 

Isaiah  Davey,  of  Pen  Argyl,  North- 
ampton county,  Pennsylvania,  is  a  man 
whom  to  know  is  to  respect  and  honor, 
for  his  life  in  all  its  varied  relations  has 
been  marked  by  the  utmost  fidelity  to 
duty  and  to  principle.  Whatever  success 
he  has  achieved  in  life  is  due  entirely  to 
his  own  efiforts.  Industrious,  energetic, 
and  not  easily  discouraged,  he  has  press- 
ed forward  resolutely  to  the  goal  of  pros- 
perity, and  has  gathered  many  of  the  rich 
fruits  of  successful  management  and 
earnest  and  persevering  labor. 

Isaiah  Davey  was  born  in  Cornwall, 
^England,  February  13,  1856,  a  son  of 
Thomas  and  Elizabeth  (Hallett)  Davey. 
He  emigrated  to  America  in  1873,  after 
he  had  completed  his  education  and  ac- 
quired a  trade  in  his  native  land.  Arriv- 
ing at  New  York  he  proceeded  to  Pen 
Argyl,  where  he  located  and  worked  at 
his  trade,  a  slater,  in  the  employ  of 
Peter  Robinson.  He  was  economical  and 
frugal,  and,  being  in  continual  employ- 
ment, it  was  a  natural  consequence  that 
he  was  able  to  amass  a  considerable 
capital.  Subsequently  he  purchased  the 
"Indian  Spring  Hotel,"  made  a  number 
of  changes  in  it  and  conducted  it  very 
successfully  for  a  period  of  sixteen  years. 
He  also  bought  a  large  tract  of  land,  on 
which  he  built  extensively  and  to  advan- 
tage. In  all  that  concerns  the  welfare  of 
the  community  in  w^hich  he  is  living  Mr. 
Davey  takes  the  deepest  interest.  He 
sides  with  the  Republican  party,  and 
while  he  has  never  sought  public  office, 
jt  has  been  tendered  him  by  his  fellow 
citizens  as  a  mark  of  appreciation  of  the 
sterling  value  of  his  opinions  and  counsel. 
November  4,  1913,  he  was  elected  chief 
burgess  of  Pen  Argyl,  for  a  term  of  four 
vears. 


Mr.  Davey  is  unmarried  and  is  not  a 
member  of  any  clubs.  He  was  reared  in 
the  faith  of  the  Wesleyan  Methodist 
Church  and  is  still  an  adherent  of  the 
faith  of  that  church — a  member  of  the 
church  of  that  denomination  in  Pen 
Argyl. 


WOODWARD,  James  F., 

Hospital    Official,   legislator. 

Each  community  is  judged  by  the  char- 
acter of  its  representative  citizens,  and 
jts  social,  intellectual  and  business  stand- 
ing is  determined  thereby.  The  sterling 
worth,  ability  and  enterprise  of  the  lead- 
ing men  is  mirrored  forth  in  the  public 
life  of  the  city,  and  therefore  the  history 
of  the  people  of  prominence  is  the  history 
of  the  community.  No  account  of  Mc- 
Keesport  would  be  complete  without  the 
Jife  record  of  James  F.  "Woodward,  a  man 
whose  public  spirit  is  manifested  in  many 
ways,  and  who  is  highly  esteemed  by  all 
with  whom  he  is  brought  in  contact. 

The  paternal  and  maternal  ancestry  of 
James  F.  Woodward  is  traced  to  England 
and  Scotland,  and  the  grandfather  on  the 
paternal  side  was  a  resident  of  Arm- 
strong county,  Pennsylvania,  where  his 
death  occurred.  John  Woodward,  father 
of  James  F.  Woodward,  was  born  in 
Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania,  and  is  living, 
retired,  in  his  native  city  at  the  present 
time  (1915)  at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty 
years.  He  received  a  liberal  education, 
which  qualified  him  for  the  position  of 
teacher,  in  which  capacity  he  served  up 
to  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  War,  in 
which  he  enlisted  his  services  as  a  three 
months'  man  in  the  105th  Regiment  Penn- 
sylvania Volunteers,  and  later,  when  the 
regiment  was  all  shot  to  pieces  in  the 
campaign,  it  was  consolidated  with  the 
63rd  Regiment,  and  in  that  regiment  he 
served  until  his  honorable  discharge  at 
136 


c/-^^K^a/^  c^c 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  termination  of  hostilities.  Subse- 
quently he  gave  his  attention  to  agricul- 
tural pursuits,  in  which  he  was  successful, 
and  is  now  enjoying  a  well-earned  rest. 

He  married  Mary  Fleming,  and  among 
their  children  was  James  F.,  of  this  record. 

James  F.  Woodward  was  born  in 
Beaver  county,  Pennsylvania,  February 
19,  1868.  He  attended  the  public  schools 
of  Allegheny  and  Pittsburgh,  and  later 
pursued  advanced  studies  at  the  Western 
University.  He  began  his  business  career 
as  a  bookkeeper,  and  afterwards  became 
assistant  superintendent  of  the  West 
Penn  Hospital  and  served  from  1889  to 
1895,  and  in  the  latter  named  year  he  was 
appointed  superintendent  of  the  McKees- 
port  Hospital,  which  responsible  position 
he  is  now  filling,  to  the  entire  satisfac- 
tion of  all  concerned.  He  has  also  been 
actively  interested  in  various  business 
enterprises,  in  two  or  three  of  which  he 
was  the  executive  head,  thus  displaying 
to  full  advantage  his  ability,  acumen  and 
sagacity.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics, 
and  has  always  been  active  in  the  inter- 
ests of  his  party,  serving  it  to  the  best 
of  his  ability.  While  a  resident  of  Pitts- 
burgh he  served  as  secretary  of  the 
Twelfth  Ward,  and  later  became  a  county 
committeeman,  serving  for  nine  years, 
and  chairman  of  the  Republican  County 
Committee,  serving  for  one  year.  In  1904 
he  was  elected  to  the  House  of  Represen- 
tatives and  served  continuously  for  four 
terms,  this  long  term  of  service  testify- 
ing eloquently  to  his  popularity  and  effi- 
ciency. While  in  the  Legislature  he 
served  as  chairman  of  the  Committee  on 
Appropriations.  He  is  a  thirty-second 
degree  Mason,  having  gone  through  all 
the  chairs,  and  is  also  affiliated  with  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  and  the  Benevolent 
and  Protective  Order  of  Elks. 

Mr.  Woodward  married,  in  1893,  Bell 
McWhinny.  They  are  the  parents  0/ 
one  child,  Helen. 


ARNOLD,  William  A., 

Manafacturer,    Public    Official. 

William  A.  Arnold,  a  well  known 
manufacturer  of  Coopersburg,  Lehigh 
county,  Pennsylvania,  has  built  up  a  busi- 
ness of  extensive  proportions  that  not 
,alone  yields  a  handsome  income  to  its 
owner,  but  is  of  benefit  to  the  com- 
munity at  large  by  reason  of  the  number 
of  workmen  it  employs.  Keen  discrimi- 
nation, careful  oversight,  energy  and 
progressiveness,  these  are  the  chief  char- 
acteristics of  Mr.  Arnold,  and  they  are 
the  qualities  which  have  brought  him, 
.prosperity  and  which  will  insure  him  a 
continuance  of  it. 

Frederick  Arnold,  grandfather  of  the 
man  whose  name  heads  this  sketch,  was 
brought  to  this  country  by  his  parents 
when  he  was  but  eight  months  of  age, 
and  they  located  in  Lehigh  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, a  section  of  the  State  with  which 
the  family  has  been  connected  ever  since 
that  time.  John,  son  of  Frederick  Arnold, 
,was  born  in  Lehigh  county,  and  married 
Rebecca  Newcomer. 

William  A.,  son  of  John  and  Rebecca 
(Newcomer)  Arnold,  was  born  in  Uppers 
township,  Lehigh  county,  Pennsylvania, 
July  4,  1850.  He  attended  the  public 
schools  of  Coopersburg,  Lehigh  county, 
,and  after  completing  his  education  in 
them  he  entered  upon  a  business  career. 
Arriving  at  maturity,  he  formed  a  part- 
nership with  his  brother,  Frank  J.,  and 
they  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  "Peg- 
gen  Sticks,"  to  be  used  in  connection  with 
looms.  This  was  twelve  years  ago,  and 
since  that  time  the  business  has  increased 
greatly,  and  they  have  been  obliged  to 
increase  their  working  force  to  a  con- 
siderable extent.  Mr.  Arnold  is  always 
ready  to  do  all  in  his  power  to  further 
the  public  welfare,  and  it  is  because  of 
this  interest  that  he  accepted  the  office 
of  chief  burgess,  his  appointment  being 
by  the  court  to  fill  the  unexpired  term,  in 

137 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


191 1,  of  F.  S.  Cooper,  of  Coopersburg, 
Pennsylvania.  He  gives  his  political  alle- 
giance to  the  Democratic  party,  and  he 
is  a  member  of  the  St.  John's  Lutheran 
Church,  to  which  he  is  a  generous  con- 
tributor. His  fraternal  membership  is 
with  the  Patriotic  Order  of  Sons  of 
America,  No.  511. 

Mr.  Arnold  married,  in  1875,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Philip  Barron,  and  they  have  had 
children :  Harry  E. ;  John  W. ;  Lillie 
May,  married  Howard  M.  Staufifer; 
Mabel  Amanda,  married  E.  B.  Banks,  a 
resident  of  Philadelphia  ;  Anna  Rebecca  ; 
and  Sadie  B. 


SUPPLEE,  William  W., 

Prominent  Merchant,  Enterprising  Citizen. 

The  late  William  W.  Supplee,  one  of 
the  active  factors  in  the  development  of 
the  great  hardware  trade  in  the  State  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  known  throughout  the 
country  in  his  capacity  as  president  of 
the  noted  Trade  Associations,  was  on  the 
paternal  side  a  descendant  of  the  Hugue- 
nots, many  of  whom  emigrated  to  this 
country  in  the  year  1661,  landing  in  New 
York;  and  two  decades  later  his  great- 
great-grandfather  purchased  property  in 
Montgomery  county,  Pennsylvania,  about 
five  miles  from  Norristown,  and  shortly 
afterward  erected  the  old  homestead 
where  the  great-grandfather,  grandfather 
and  father  of  William  W.  Supplee  was 
born.  All  the  immediate  relatives  of  Mr. 
Supplee  from  the  time  of  their  removal 
there  were  buried  in  what  is  known  as 
the  Supplee  burying  ground,  and  on  the 
same  property  members  of  the  family 
built  what  is  known  as  the  Supplee  school 
house. 

William  W.  Supplee  was  born  on  the 
Supplee  homestead  in  Montgomery  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania,  about  five  miles  from 
Norristown,  April  12,  1832.  He  acquired 
a  practical  education  by  attendance  at  the 


school  house,  referred  to  above,  and  later 
this  knowledge  was  supplemented  by  a 
course  at  Tremont  Seminary,  where  his 
brothers  were  also  educated,  and  where 
his  brother,  Enoch  Supplee,  served  for 
jnany  years  in  the  capacity  of  teacher. 
In  1853  William  W.  Supplee  removed  to 
Philadelphia,  in  order  to  engage  in  mer- 
cantile pursuits,  which  he  continued  for 
a  period  of  three  years,  and  then  discon- 
tinued, as  he  had  decided  to  engage  in 
business  on  his  own  account.  Accord- 
ingly, he  changed  his  place  of  residence 
to  LaCrosse,  Wisconsin,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  the  hardware  business  with  Wil- 
liam J.  Lloyd,  and  during  the  eleven  years 
that  the  firm  was  in  existence  they  con- 
ducted probably  the  largest  and  most 
extensive  hardware  business  in  the  State. 
The  climate  of  the  West  did  not  agree 
with  Mr.  Supplee,  and  he  was  advised  by 
his  physician  to  return  east,  and  accord- 
ingly he  returned  to  Philadelphia,  in  the 
year  1867,  and  entered  into  the  wholesale 
hardware  business  as  a  member  of  the 
firm  of  Lloyd,  Supplee  &  Walton.  In 
1884  Mr.  Walton  retired  from  the  firm, 
and  in  April,  1889,  Mr.  Supplee  purchased 
the  interest  of  the  remaining  partner,  Mr. 
Lloyd,  and  established  the  Supplee  Hard- 
ware Company,  of  which  he  became  presi- 
dent, and  which  was,  when  he  retired 
from  business  in  March,  1913,  one  of  the 
most  successful  and  best  known  com- 
panies of  its  kind  operating  in  the  coun- 
try. His  son,  William  D.  Supplee,  who 
was  treasurer,  died  in  January,  1901.  The 
Supplee  Hardware  Company  conducts 
the  largest  business  of  any  wholesale 
hardware  house  this  side  of  Chicago,  its 
trade  probably  being  only  equalled  by 
two  concerns  in  the  United  States,  and 
this  state  of  afifairs  was  brought  about 
principally  by  the  energy,  perseverance 
and  business  ability  of  Mr.  Supplee,  who 
possessed  those  excellent  traits  in  large 
degree.  He  had  succeeded  in  extending 
138 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  trade  into  almost  every  State  in  the 
Union,  this  being  one  of  his  chief  desires. 
The  firm  gives  employment  to  fifty  sales- 
men, and  their  pay  roll  embraces  the 
names  of  about  tvi^o  hundred  workmen  in 
all.  It  controls  the  production  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Lawn  Mower  Works, 
which  is  one  of  the  largest  establish- 
ments of  its  kind  in  the  country. 

While  his  attention  was  chiefly  given 
to  the  development  of  his  own  business 
organization,  Mr.  Supplee  was  actively 
identified  with  many  important  enter- 
prises. For  many  years  he  was  a  direc- 
tor of  the  Seventh  National  Bank,  and 
he  was  also  for  several  years  a  director 
in  the  Corn  Exchange  National  Bank,  of 
which  his  brother,  J.  Wesley  Supplee, 
was  president.  At  the  death  of  his  brother 
in  1900,  he  was  made  vice-president  of 
the  bank.  He  had  been  chairman  of  the 
finance  committee  of  the  Trades  League 
ever  since  that  organization  was  estab- 
lished. Since  about  1874  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Union  League ;  was  a  member 
of  the  Manufacturers'  Club  of  Philadel- 
phia ;  one  of  the  executive  committee  of 
the  National  League  of  Business  Men ; 
was  president  of  the  National  Hardware 
Association  of  the  United  States  ever 
since  it  was  organized,  and  for  two  years 
was  president  of  the  Hardware  and  Man- 
ufacturers' Association  of  Philadelphia, 
also  chairman  of  its  board  of  directors. 
For  fifteen  years  Mr.  Supplee  correspond- 
ed semi-monthly  for  the  "Iron  Age,"  a 
journal  devoted  to  the  interests  of  the 
hardware  trade  in  the  United  States,  and 
he  was  an  accepted  authority  upon  all 
branches  pertaining  to  the  industry.  He 
was  interested  in  the  Philadelphia  Mu- 
seum, and  a  member  of  the  advisory 
board  of  that  notable  institution.  In  fact, 
along  numerous  lines,  he  always  took  an 
active  and  earnest  interest.  Owing  to 
failing  health  he  retired  from  all  active 
participation  in  business  in  the  spring  of 
PEN— Vol  vi-20  2 


1913,  and  died  December  31,  1915,  in  the 
eighty-fourth  year  of  his  age. 

During  his  residence  in  LaCrosse,  Wis- 
consin, Mr.  Supplee  was  united  in  mar- 
riage to  Mary  Cass  Danforth,  daughter 
of  James  and  Olive  (Rumsey)  Danforth, 
the  latter  named  having  been  a  represen- 
tative of  the  Rumsey  families  who  re- 
sided for  many  years  in  Buffalo,  New 
York,  being  well  known  throughout  the 
State  of  New  York.  Three  children  were 
born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Supplee:  William 
D.,  aforementioned ;  and  two  daughters, 
namely :  Olive  C.  and  Fannie  L.  His 
brother,  Rev.  Enoch  H.  Supplee,  who  was 
a  clergyman  in  the  Episcopal  church,  and 
who  acquired  a  wide  reputation  for  liter- 
ary work,  died  a  number  of  years  ago. 


PACKER,  Asa, 

Financial  Magnate  and  Fhilanthropist. 

Judge  Asa  Packer,  of  Mauch  Chunk, 
was  during  an  active  career  covering 
about  one-half  a  century  one  of  the  most 
conspicuously  useful  men  in  the  great 
Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania.  He  was 
equally  noted  and  honored  as  a  master 
of  large  afifairs,  for  his  great  public  spirit 
which  made  him  a  leader  in  the  develop- 
ment of  his  State,  for  his  munificent  liber- 
ality in  the  establishment  and  mainte- 
nance of  educational  and  benevolent  in- 
stitutions, and  for  those  graces  of  per- 
sonal character  which  made  his  life  a 
benediction  upon  the  community  at  large. 
He  was  born  in  Mystic,  Connecticut, 
December  29,  1805.  His  early  education 
was  extremely  limited,  being  only  such 
as  he  could  obtain  in  the  primitive  district 
schools  of  those  early  days.  To  compen- 
sate for  deprivation  in  this  respect,  he 
was  possessed  of  a  receptive  mind  and 
habits  of  thought  and  observation,  and 
through  these  he  was  enabled  to  acquire 
a  generous  store  of  practical  knowledge 
which  proved  ample  equipment  for  his 
139 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


future  life,  and  gave  him  position  side 
by  side  with  many  who  had  won  college 
honors.  At  the  age  of  seventeen  he 
packed  all  his  worldly  possessions,  con- 
sisting of  a  few  simple  articles  of  cloth- 
ing, shouldered  his  humble  pack,  and  set 
out  afoot  to  make  his  own  way  in  a  great 
world  which  was  altogether  unknown  to 
him.  Trudging  along  the  rugged  roads 
of  that  almost  primitive  time  the  plucky 
lad  walked  the  entire  distance  between 
his  birthplace  in  the  land  of  blue  laws 
and  wooden  nutmegs  to  Brooklyn,  Sus- 
quehanna county,  Pennsylvania.  This 
first  achievement  was  a  fair  index  to  his 
future,  the  boy  was  father  of  the  man 
whom,  once  determined  upon  a  course  of 
action,  no  obstacle  could  stay,  whose  pur- 
pose no  discouragement  could  shake,  to 
whom  could  come  no  task  too  great  to 
undertake.  After  many  days  of  weary 
walking,  of  climbing  his  way  up  rocky 
hills  and  toiling  through  dusty  alleys,  in 
sunshine  and  in  rain,  the  lad  arrived, 
footsore,  weary  and  hungry,  at  the  home 
of  his  cousin.  Mr.  Edward  Packer,  in 
Brooklyn.  Mr.  Packer  was  a  house  car- 
penter, and  young  Asa  determined  to 
learn  the  trade  under  his  tutelage.  He 
applied  himself  to  his  work  with  genuine 
enthusiasm  and  characteristic  thorough- 
ness, and  became  an  accomplished  me- 
chanic. No  master  of  the  trade  could 
push  a  plane  truer  or  more  rapidly,  or 
send  a  nail  home  with  greater  precision. 

His  apprenticeship  ended  and  now  a 
grown  young  man,  Mr.  Packer  went  to 
New  York,  where  he  did  journey  work 
for  a  year.  The  life  of  the  city  was  dis- 
tasteful to  him,  however,  and  he  returned 
to  Susquehanna  county,  Pennsylvania, 
settling  in  Springville  township,  where 
he  worked  at  his  trade  for  some  few  years. 
Meantime,  on  January  23,  1828,  he  mar- 
ried Sarah  M.  Blakslee.  In  1833,  learning 
that  men  were  wanted  to  run  coal  boats 
on  the  then  just  opened  Lehigh  canal,  he 

2 


drove  in  a  primitive  sled  to  Mauch 
Chunk,  made  a  satisfactory  arrangement, 
and  then  returned  home  to  close  up  his 
affairs  in  time  for  the  opening  of  navi- 
gation. In  the  spring  he  set  out  to  en- 
gage in  his  new  undertaking,  walking  to 
Tunkhannock,  on  the  Susquehanna  river, 
where  he  boarded  a  raft  which  took  him 
to  Berwick,  whence  he  walked  to  Mauch 
Chunk.  He  was  at  once  given  charge 
of  a  canal  boat,  and  not  long  afterward 
contracted  for  an  additional  vessel  which 
he  placed  under  his  brother-in-law,  James 
I.  Blakslee.  During  the  summer  he 
brought  his  family  to  Mauch  Chunk.  His 
boating  business  proved  so  remunerative 
that  at  the  end  of  two  years  he  withdrew 
from  active  effort  in  this  line,  but  re- 
tained an  interest  in  the  enterprise.  With 
a  portion  of  the  means  which  he  had  ac- 
quired he  bought  the  general  store  of  E. 
W.  Kimball,  on  the  banks  of  the  Lehigh, 
making  Mr.  Blakslee  its  manager,  while 
he  himself  established  a  boat  yard  and 
engaged  in  the  building  of  canal  boats, 
a  work  for  which  he  was  well  adapted  by 
reason  of  his  former  experience  as  a  car- 
penter. F"rom  this  time  on  he  prospered 
in  all  his  undertakings,  and  in  a  few  years 
came  to  be  regarded  as  a  wealthy  man, 
though  his  means  were  small  compared 
with  what  they  afterward  became.  About 
this  time  he  placed  in  his  store  a  stock 
of  goods  amounting  to  $25,000  in  value, 
which  was  a  large  purchase  for  those 
days.  He  took  large  contracts  for  build- 
ing locks  on  the  Upper  Lehigh,  which  he 
completed  with  handsome  profits  in  1839 
The  following  year  he  and  his  brother 
Robert  took  large  contracts  from  Stock- 
ton &  Stevens,  of  New  Jersey,  for  build- 
ing boats  at  Pottsville,  Schuylkill  county, 
to  run  in  the  direct  coal  trade  to  New 
York.  At  the  end  of  three  years  the 
brothers  dissolved  partnership,  Asa  re- 
turning to  Mauch  Chunk,  and  Robert 
locating  in  Reading. 
140 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF   lilOGRAPIlY 


Mr.  Packer  next  engaged  in  mining  and 
shipping  coal  from  the  Nesquehoning 
and  other  mines,  loading  his  product  into 
his  own  boats  from  the  first  named  at  a 
point  a  little  above  where  the  East  Mauch 
Chunk  bridge  now  stands.  Thencefor- 
ward his  career  was  continuously  and 
conspicuously  prosperous,  and  altogether 
the  result  of  his  own  endeavor.  In  1852 
he  took  up  his  greatest  business  enter- 
prise, the  building  of  the  Lehigh  Valley 
Railroad.  With  rare  foresight  he  dis- 
cerned the  vast  results  which  would  grow 
out  of  such  a  highway,  and  he  entered 
upon  the  gigantic  undertaking  unaided 
and  alone.  He  contended  with  difficulties, 
physical  and  financial,  which  many  pro- 
nounced insuperable,  and  at  one  time  his 
entire  fortune  was  seriously  imperiled. 
With  almost  superhuman  courage  and 
determination  he  persisted  in  his  work, 
and  in  1855  his  judgment  was  vindicated 
and  his  victory  won,  in  its  completion. 

.A.t  the  time  of  his  death,  Judge  Packci 
was  regarded  as  one  of  Pennsylvania's 
richest  men.  True,  he  accumulated  vast 
wealth,  but  he  administered  it  with  a  lib- 
eral and  enlightened  judgment  and  a 
deeply  sympathetic  heart,  proving  a  great 
power  in  the  development  of  his  State,  in 
the  advancement  of  civilization,  and  in 
bringing  employment  to  thousands  of 
families.  His  personal  benefactions  were 
countless,  but  were  so  modestly  bestowed 
that  they  went  unheralded  save  by  those 
recipients  of  his  bounty  who  were  helped 
to  homes  and  established  in  business,  or 
found  relief  at  his  hands  in  their  time  of 
sore  need.  Educational,  religious  and 
charitable  institutions  always  held  a  first 
place  in  his  estimation,  and  such  he  aided 
with  an  unsparing  hand.  St.  Luke's 
Hospital  in  South  Bethlehem  was  one  of 
his  favorite  objects ;  he  contributed  to  it 
liberally  during  his  life,  and  at  his  death 
left  it  a  bequest  of  $300,000.  To  St. 
.\Tark's    Church,     in    Mauch     Chunk,    in 


which  he  was  for  forty-four  years  a  war- 
den and  vestryman,  he  left  the  sum  of 
$30,000.  In  this  beautiful  temple  norw 
stands,  erected  in  his  memory  by  his 
widow  and  children,  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  reredos  in  all  America. 

His  principal  monument,  however,  is 
the  magnificent  Lehigh  University.  De- 
prived, as  has  been  seen,  of  a  college 
training,  he  was  desirous  of  affording  to 
the  youth  of  his  State  opportunities  such 
as  had  been  denied  to  him.  The  wish  of 
his  heart  he  imparted  to  Bishop  Stevens, 
and  to  him  unfolded  his  plans  for  the  es- 
tablishment at  some  point  in  the  Lehigh 
Valley  of  a  university  where  young  men 
of  limited  means  might  have  an  oppor- 
tunity to  secure  a  thorough  education, 
especially  along  technical  lines.  Accord- 
ingly, in  1865,  he  set  aside  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  proposed  institution  fifty- 
six  acres  of  land  in  South  Bethlehem,  and 
a  sum  of  $500,000,  a  gift,  it  is  believed, 
the  largest  given  in  the  United  States 
for  such  a  purpose  up  to  that  time. 
In  1875  he  added  fifty-two  acres  to  the 
university  tract,  increasing  it  to  one  hun- 
dred and  fifteen  acres,  and  also  erected 
a  fine  library  building  at  a  cost  of  $400,000 
in  memory  of  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Lucy 
Packer  Linderman.  This  proved  to  be 
his  last  personal  undertaking  in  connec- 
tion with  the  institution,  his  death  occur- 
ring not  long  afterward.  Lender  the  pro- 
visions of  his  will  he  left  a  permanent 
endowment  of  $1,500,000  for  general 
maintenance,  and  added  $400,000  to  his 
previous  gift  of  $100,000  for  library  pur- 
poses, thereby  increasing  that  special  en- 
dowment to  a  half  million  dollars,  and  the 
aggregate  of  his  university  benefactions 
(land  value  included)  to  the  princely  sum 
of  three  million  dollars,  and  more  than 
probably  a  similar  amount  was  received 
when  his  estate,  which  was  held  in  trust, 
was  distributed.  In  the  grounds  of  Le- 
high University  stands  a  most  beautiful 
141 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


edifice,  the  Packer  Memorial  Church, 
erected  in  1886  by  Judge  Packer's  last 
surviving  child,  Mrs.  Mary  Packer  Cum- 
mings,  at  the  cost  of  a  quarter  of  million 
dollars. 

Judge  Packer  w^as  prominent  in  polit- 
ical affairs,  and  wielded  a  potent  and 
salutary  influence  in  the  counsels  of  both 
State  and  nation,  and  in  all  pertaining  to 
commercial  and  educational  interests.  In 
1841  he  viras  elected  to  the  Legislature, 
and  he  was  reelected  to  succeed  himself 
at  the  expiration  of  his  term.  His  retire- 
ment from  the  Legislature  was  followed 
(in  1843)  by  his  appointment  by  Gov- 
ernor David  R.  Porter  to  the  position  of 
associate  judge  of  his  county.  In  1852  he 
was  elected  to  Congress,  and  he  was  re- 
elected in  1854.  These  ofificial  honors, 
though  not  solicited  or  even  desired,  were 
cheerfully  accepted,  and  all  their  multi- 
farious trusts  and  duties  were  wisely  and 
honorably  discharged.  In  two  instances 
he  was  brought  prominently  before  the 
State  and  nation,  when  he  permitted  his 
name  to  be  used  solely  as  a  matter  of 
duty  to  his  political  friends,  and  where 
no  reward  was  possible.  In  1868  he  was 
named  for  the  presidential  nomination  in 
the  National  Democratic  Convention,  and 
in  the  following  year  he  was  the  Demo- 
cratic candidate  for  Governor. 

He  was  a  member  of  various  Masonic 
bodies,  and  Packer  Commandery,  No.  23, 
Knights  Templar,  of  Mauch  Chunk,  was 
named  in  honor  of  a  member  of  his  fam- 
ily. Mauch  Chunk  and  Packer  are  names 
inseparable,  for  it  was  in  the  city  named 
that  he  entered  upon  his  career  of  phe- 
nomenal success  and  usefulness,  and 
there  his  interest  centered  throughout  his 
life. 

Judge  Packer  died  May  17,  1879,  in  the 
seventy-fourth  year  of  his  age,  after  a 
life  of  highest  devotion  to  the  interests 
of  education  and  other  laudable  objects. 
In  his  personal  character  he  was  most 


unassuming,  and  his  wealth,  power  and 
position  never  changed  his  outlook  or 
bearing,  but  he  was  the  same  brave, 
strong,  kindly,  simple-hearted  and  gener- 
ous man  to  the  last.  His  toleration  was 
marked.  Strong  as  were  his  own  opin- 
ions, he  recognized  the  right  of  as  strong 
contrary  opinions  by  others,  and  as  long 
as  they  were  honestly  held  they  never  af- 
fected his  friendships.  His  observance  of 
Sunday  as  "The  Lord's  Day"  was  most 
marked,  and  it  was  some  circumstance 
entirely  beyond  his  control  which  would 
keep  him  from  attendance  at  the  services 
of  the  church. 

Judge  Packer  was  survived  by  his 
widow,  whose  death  occurred  in  1882, 
three  years  after  his  passing  away.  The 
remains  of  the  two,  husband  and  wife, 
repose  in  the  Mauch  Chunk  Cemetery' 
and  by  their  side  the  bodies  of  their  two 
sons,  Robert,  who  died  in  1883,  and  Harry 
Eldred,  who  died  in  1884.  The  monu- 
ment in  the  family  plot  stands  promi- 
nently on  the  brow  of  Mount  Pisgah, 
just  rearward  from  the  old  home,  the 
erection  of  which  was  begun  by  Judge 
Packer  in  i860,  and  where,  in  1878,  he  and 
his  devoted  wife  celebrated  their  golden 
wedding,  one  of  the  most  delightful  and 
touching  social  events  ever  witnessed  in 
the  Lehigh  Valley.  The  old  home,  about 
which  cling  so  many  tender  memories,  is 
now  the  residence  of  the  only  surviving 
child  of  Judge  and  Mrs.  Packer,  Mary 
Packer  Cummings. 


HEINTZELMAN,  Samuel  Peter, 

Civil  War  Soldier. 

General  Samuel  Peter  Heintzelman, 
was  born  in  Manheim,  Pennsylvania,  Sep- 
tember 30,  1805.  He  was  graduated  from 
the  United  States  Military  Academy  in 
1826;  served  as  lieutenant  of  infantry  in 
the  west  and  in  Florida,  1826-47;  was 
promoted  to  captain  in  1847,  serving  in 
142 


'/^yyr- 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  Mexican  war,  1847-48;  brevetted  ma- 
jor, October  9,  1847,  foi"  gallantry  at  Hua- 
mantla;  was  in  California,  1849-55,  where 
he  fought  the  Coyote  and  Yuma  Indi- 
ans, and  established  Fort  Yuma,  on  the 
Columbia  river.  He  was  promoted  to  ma- 
jor in  1855,  and  operated  against  Mexican 
marauders  on  the  Rio-Grande,  1859-60, 
and  was  brevetted  lieutenant-colonel  in 
May,  1861,  for  meritorious  services  against 
the  Indians  in  California. 

He  was  made  brigadier-general  of  vol- 
unteers and  inspector-general  of  troops  at 
Washington,  D.  C,  in  May,  1861,  and  was 
commissioned  colonel  of  the  Seventeenth 
United  States  Infantry.  He  commanded 
the  forces  that  captured  Alexandria,  Vir- 
ginia, May  24,  1861,  and  was  wounded  in 
the  battle  of  Bull  Run,  July  21,  1861, 
where  he  commanded  the  Third  Division, 
McDowell's  army,  composed  of  the  bri- 
gades of  Franklin,  Willcox  and  Howard, 
and  opposed  the  brigades  of  Evans,  Bee 
and  Bartow,  and  drove  them  back  to  the 
Henry  house  plateau.  He  commanded  the 
Third  Corps,  made  up  of  the  divisions  of 
Kearny  and  Hooker,  in  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  in  March,  1862,  before  York- 
town  and  at  Malvern  Hill,  Beaver  Dam, 
Oak  Grove,  Savage's  Station,  Fraser's 
Farm,  and  in  the  Peninsula  campaign. 
For  his  action  at  the  battle  of  Williams- 
burg, Virginia,  May  5,  1862,  he  was  made 
major-general  of  volunteers,  and  at  Seven 
Pines  (Fair  Oaks),  Virginia,  May  31,  and 
June  I,  1862,  he  commanded  the  Third 
and  Fourth  Corps  combined,  and  for  his 
gallantry  in  both  days' fight  was  brevetted 
brigadier-general  in  the  regular  army.  He 
led  his  Third  Corps  in  the  seven  days' 
fight  before  Richmond,  June  25  to  July  i, 
1862.  At  the  second  battle  of  Bull  Run 
his  corps  formed  the  right  wing  of  the 
army  under  General  John  Pope,  and  when 
he  reached  Warrenton  Junction,  before 
taking  part  in  the  battle,  his  corps  num- 


bered less  than  eight  thousand  men,  and 
he  had  no  wagons,  artillery,  horses  or 
even  mounts  for  the  field  officers,  and 
only  about  forty  rounds  of  ammunition  to 
the  man.  His  corps  opposed  Jackson  on 
August  29,  1862,  at  Sudley  Mountain  near 
Groveton,  and  on  the  30th  retreated  over 
the  stone  bridge,  making  the  next  stand 
at  Chantilly,  September  i,  1862,  and  then 
fell  back  upon  Washington.  He  com- 
manded the  Department  of  Washington 
and  the  Twenty-second  Corps  during  the 
Maryland  and  Pennsylvania  campaign, 
1862-63,  being  relieved  of  his  command  in 
October,  1863.  He  commanded  the  North- 
ern Department  including  the  States  of 
Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois  and  Michigan,  from 
January,  1864,  to  October,  1864,  when  he 
was  placed  upon  court-martial  duty.  He 
was  brevetted  major-general  in  the  regu- 
lar army  in  March,  1865,  and  was  muster- 
ed out  of  the  volunteer  service  in  August, 
1865.  In  September  he  resumed  com- 
mand of  his  regiment,  and  was  stationed 
first  in  New  York  harbor  and  subsequent- 
ly in  Texas.  He  was  retired  with  the 
rank  of  colonel,  February  22,  1869,  and  on 
April  29,  1869,  was  placed  upon  the  re- 
tired list  by  special  act  of  Congress  with 
the  full  rank  of  major-general  to  date  from 
his  retirement.  He  died  in  Washington, 
D.  C,  May  i,  1880. 


FRAY,  WILLIAM  F., 

liarge  Mannfacturer. 

It  was  a  matter  of  pride  with  John  B. 
Stetson  that  so  many  of  "his  boys"  grew 
up  to  be  men  of  power  and  strength  in  the 
business  world  and  that  so  many  of  them 
remained  with  him,  and  when  he  sur- 
rendered to  the  inexorable  hand  of  time 
these  "boys"  assumed  control  of  the  busi- 
ness they  had  helped  to  create.  Some  of 
them  are  now  men  of  advanced  years  and 
in  turn  refer  to  their  "bovs,"  who  have 


2143 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


gone  out  from  the  parent  plant  to  busi- 
nesses of  their  own  or  are  a  part  of  the 
present  corporation. 

The  history  of  some  of  the  Stetson 
"boys",  now  the  Stetson  executive  staff 
and  responsible  for  the  continued  great- 
ness and  present  prosperity  of  the  com- 
pany, covers  almost  its  entire  life,  and  of 
those  who  have  been  longest  in  continu- 
ous service,  none  antedate  William  F. 
Fray,  the  present  first  vice-president, 
whose  connection  covers  a  period  of  half 
a  century.  Son  of  a  Swiss  father  and  a 
Virginia  mother,  but  early  orphaned, 
he  has  fought  life's  battle  from  the  very 
bottom  of  the  ladder,  and  in  Philadelphia, 
the  city  of  his  birth,  has  won  the  success 
which  places  him  among  the  strong  dom- 
inating spirits  of  a  corporation  noted  for 
its  strong  men.  He  came  to  the  Stetson 
Company  not  an  untrained  boy,  but 
master  of  every  branch  of  the  hat  making 
business,  and  from  the  beginning  capably 
filled  a  position  of  responsibility  in  the 
manufacturing  department.  The  founda- 
tions of  the  John  B.  Stetson  Company 
were  then  but  newly  laid,  and  the  choos- 
ing of  a  manager  for  the  plant,  then  at 
Fourth  and  Chestnut  streets,  was  a  seri- 
ous matter  both  for  Mr.  Stetson  and  the 
man  of  his  choice,  as  upon  their  mutual 
strength  depended  the  success  of  the 
undertaking.  In  his  decision  to  make  Mr. 
Fray  his  chief  assistant,  Mr.  Stetson 
again  displayed  the  wonderful  power  of 
selection  which  ever  characterized  him, 
and  Mr.  Fray  manifested  no  less  foresight 
and  wisdom  in  deciding  to  ally  himself 
with  an  infant  industry  and  in  so  doing 
testifying  to  his  belief  in  himself  and  in 
his  own  powers  to  aid  in  its  upbuilding. 

William  F.  Fray,  son  of  Stephen  and 
Susanna  (Brock)  Fray,  was  born  in  Phil- 
adelphia, May  7,  1844.  He  was  deprived 
of  a  father's  support  when  but  an  infant, 
and  of  a  mother's  care  while  still  a  child, 
consequently  his  years  of  school  prepara- 


tion early  terminated.  He  was  but  eleven 
years  of  age  when  he  became  an  errand 
boy  in  the  stationery  establishment  of 
William  Christy,  at  Third  and  Dock 
streets,  but  he  was  very  active,  very  much 
in  earnest,  and  made  an  excellent  errand 
boy.  He  was  variously  employed  during 
his  youth,  but  no  matter  where  or  how, 
he  was  constantly  adding  to  his  mental 
equipment  and  forming  plans  for  his 
future.  Deciding  that  he  would  learn  a 
trade,  he  apprenticed  himself  to  P.  Herst 
&  Company,  hat  manufacturers,  Fifth  and 
Chestnut  streets,  and  remained  with  them 
five  years,  and  mastered  every  detail  of  hat 
manufacturing  until  1866.  From  that  year 
until  the  present  time  he  has  been  a  part  of 
that  great  industrial  enterprise  the  world 
knows  as  the  John  B.  Stetson  Company. 
He  began  with  Mr.  Stetson  in  1866,  the 
business  then  being  in  its  infancy,  and 
has  been  identified  with  its  wonderful 
development  in  many  capacities,  always 
ofificial.  That  part  of  the  plant  known  as 
the  finishing  and  office  was  then  located 
at  Fourth  and  Chestnut  streets,  and  there 
Mr.  Fray  began  his  connection  as  man- 
ager. The  story  of  the  Stetson  Company 
is  told  elsewhere  in  this  work,  and  it  only 
remains  here  to  state  that  Mr.  Fray  grew 
with  the  company,  and  when  it  became  a 
corporation  he  was  made  a  director,  vice- 
president  and  later  first  vice-president, 
which  position  he  now  occupies. 

Mr.  Fray  in  the  truest  sense  is  a  "cap- 
tain of  American  industry".  He  early 
demonstrated  his  ability  to  execute  the 
orders  and  carry  out  the  plans  of  his  chief, 
his  thorough  knowledge  of  the  business, 
his  skill  in  the  management  of  men,  and 
his  willingness  to  accept  responsibility 
and  take  the  initiative  when  circumstance 
demanded.  These  qualities  won  him  the 
highest  respect  of  his  ofificial  associates, 
a  feeling  time  has  but  increased,  while 
his  relations  with  the  large  force  of  em- 
ployes have  been  most  cordial  and  satis- 
144 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


factory.  As  first  vice-president  of  the 
company,  he  fills  a  position  of  responsi- 
bility and  honor  and  is  devoted  to  the 
ideals  of  the  founder.  Pie  is  a  director  of 
the  Stetson  Hospital,  but  has  no  outside 
business  interests. 

Pie  is  vice-president  of  the  Manufac- 
turers Club,  and  is  a  life  member  of 
Columbia  Lodge  No.  91,  Free  and  Ac- 
cepted Masons.  He  is  an  enthusiastic 
lover  of  sport  with  gun  and  rod,  and  of 
yachting,  spending  his  summer  vacations 
on  his  boats,  in  northern  vi^aters,  and  in 
the  great  w^oods  that  offer  sport  to  the 
hunter  and  the  fisherman.  His  w^inters 
are  usually  spent  in  Florida  for  fishing 
for  tarpon  and  other  large  s])ecies  of  fish 
abounding  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  his 
travels  have  taken  him  to  many  parts  of 
his  own  and  foreign  lands.  Genial  and 
friendly  in  nature,  he  enjoys  the  society 
of  his  fellow  men  and  is  affiliated  with 
them  in  many  social  organizations  and  so- 
cieties. 

The  family  residence  is  at  Elkins  Park, 
Pennsylvania,  where  the  many  friends  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fray  are  most  hospitably 
entertained.  Their  only  daughter,  Char- 
lotte, is  a  member  of  the  senior  class  of 
the  Ogontz  School  for  Young  Ladies. 


CHILDS,  George  William, 

Prominent    Journalist,    Philantliropist. 

George  William  Childs  was  born  in 
Baltimore,  Maryland,  May  12,  1829.  He 
came  of  humble  parentage,  and  what  edu- 
cation he  received  was  obtained  in  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  city.  His  ap- 
titude for  business  was  manifested  in 
early  boyhood,  and  in  his  twelfth  year  he 
became  an  errand  boy  in  a  book  store.  In 
his  thirteenth  year  he  entered  the  United 
States  navy,  but  left  the  service  at  the 
end  of  fifteen  months,  and.  returning  to 
Baltimore,  attended  school  for  a  few 
weeks.    He  then  removed  to  Philadelphia, 


where  he  obtained  a  situation  as  clerk 
and  errand  boy  in  the  store  of  a  book- 
seller. His  previous  experience  in  the 
business  made  him  a  valuable  assistant, 
and  he  was  intrusted  with  the  task  of 
attending  auction  sales  in  New  York  and 
Boston.  At  the  end  of  four  years  of  faith- 
ful labor,  the  firm  of  George  W.  Childs  & 
Company  entered  upon  the  manufacture 
and  sale  of  confections  and  candies,  and 
later  became  venders  of  soaps,  powders, 
and  patent  medicines.  He  sold  out  his 
interest  in  the  business  in  1850,  and  be- 
came a  clerk  in  the  publishing  house  of 
Daniels  &  Smith,  afterwards  R.  E.  Peter- 
son &  Company,  of  which  firm  he  finally 
became  a  member,  the  name  being  subse- 
quently changed  to  Childs  &  Peterson. 
Although  some  of  the  publications  of  the 
house  reached  enormous  sales,  the  firm 
was  insolvent  in  i860,  when  Mr.  Peter- 
son retired,  leaving  Mr.  Childs  to  con- 
tinue the  business  alone  under  a  heavy 
load  of  debt.  In  1863-64,  while  still  en- 
gaged in  publishing  books  and  editing 
the  "Amercian  Literary  Gazette  and  Pub- 
lishers' Chronicle,"  he  conducted  an  agen- 
cy for  the  sale  of  sewing  machines. 

On  December  5,  1864,  Mr.  Childs  pur- 
chased, in  conjunction  with  Mr.  An- 
thony J.  Drexel,  the  Philadelphia  "Public 
Ledger,"  a  prominent  penny  journal 
which  had  fallen  upon  evil  days.  Under 
his  judicious  management  the  paper  soon 
assumed  new  life,  its  tone  and  morals 
were  changed,  and  its  circulation  and 
its  list  of  advertisers  were  soon  doubled, 
despite  the  facts  that  the  price  of  the 
paper  was  two  cents,  and  the  price  of 
space  in  its  advertising  columns  material- 
ly increased.  The  "Public  Ledger"  rose 
rapidly  to  a  commanding  position  among 
the  leading  journals  of  the  day,  and  in 
1876  a  new  building,  erected  specially  for 
its  accommodation,  testified  to  the  finan- 
cial prosperity  of  the  undertaking.  Mr. 
Childs  was  a  friend  of  amateur  writers, 
145 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


and  he  was  continually  offering  prizes 
and  other  inducements  to  encourage  the 
production  of  good  American  literature. 
He  possessed  superior  literary  taste  and 
judgment,  and  his  selection  of  material 
for  his  journal  was  uniformly  excellent. 
He  surrounded  himself  with  a  staff  of 
able  assistants,  and  under  his  manage- 
ment the  "Ledger"  became  famed  for  its 
pure  literary  tone. 

In  1868  he  presented  to  the  Typograph- 
ical Union  of  Philadelphia  a  large  and 
handsomely  enclosed  lot  in  Woodlands, 
to  be  used  as  a  printers'  cemetery,  and  to 
this  he  added  a  liberal  endowment  for  its 
proper  care.  He  also  established  a  fund 
for  the  maintenance  of  superannuated 
printers,  and  of  widows  and  orphans  of 
printers.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of 
Fairmount  Park,  contributing  half  the 
money  that  secured  that  splendid  addition 
to  the  attractions  of  Philadelphia,  and 
was  one  of  the  first  to  subscribe  $10,000 
towards  the  expense  of  the  Centennial 
Exhibition  in  1876;  and  the  Meade  fund 
was  raised  with  remarkable  rapidity  as 
soon  as  he  identified  himself  with  it.  So 
great  was  his  reputation  as  a  business 
man  that  his  example  in  contributing  to 
any  public  enterprise  was  an  assurance  of 
popular  recognition  and  sympathy.  He 
placed  in  Westminster  Abbey  a  memorial 
window  to  the  poets,  Herbert  and  Cow- 
per;  another  in  St.  Margaret's  Church. 
Westminster,  to  the  poet  Milton ;  and  he 
was  the  largest  contributor  to  the  Thomas 
Moore  window  in  the  church  at  Brom- 
ham,  England.  He  gave  to  the  Church 
of  St.  Thomas,  Winchester,  a  reredos  in 
memory  of  Bishops  Andrews  and  Ken, 
and  in  1887  he  erected  at  Stratford-on- 
Avon  a  highly  ornamented  drinking  foun- 
tain and  clock  tower  in  memory  of  Shake- 
speare. 

Mr.  Childs  numbered  among  his  friends 
the  most  distinguished  men  and  women 
in  every  walk  of  life.     Presidents,  emper- 


ors, military  men,  titled  foreigners,  states- 
men, eminent  publishers,  politicians,  au- 
thors, poets,  artists,  actors,  financiers,  all 
were  entertained  at  his  handsome  home 
in  the  most  unostentatiously  royal  style, 
and  by  his  genial  and  graceful  hospitality 
he  did  more  than  any  other  single  individ- 
ual in  the  United  States  to  elevate  foreign 
ideas  of  American  culture  and  refinement. 
He  devoted  much  time,  attention  and 
money  to  the  accumulation  of  a  fine  col- 
lection of  rare  and  standard  books,  and 
he  possessed  many  original  manuscripts 
and  literary  treasures  of  priceless  values. 
Among  these  were  a  sermon  written  by 
Cotton  Mather,  a  copy  of  Leigh  Hunt's 
works  and  an  autograph  inscription  to 
Charles  Dickens,  Hood's  Comic  Almanac 
for  1842,  poems  of  Fritz-Greene  Halleck 
with  autograph  inscription,  the  original 
manuscript  of  Hawthorne's  "Consular 
Experiences,"  letters  and  manuscripts  of 
President  Pierce,  William  Cullen  Bryant, 
James  Russell  Lowell,  J.  Fenimore 
Cooper,  Hawthorne,  Dickens,  and  a  host 
of  other  celebrities.  Two  extraordinary 
treasures  were  the  original  manuscript  of 
"Our  Mutual  Friend,"  dated  Thursday, 
January  4,  1865,  and  signed  "Charles 
Dickens,"  and  a  volume  containing  a  por- 
trait of  every  President  of  the  United 
States,  with  an  autograph  letter  of  each. 
Mr.  Childs  published  "Some  Recollections 
of  General  Grant,"  who  was  his  personal 
friend  for  many  years,  and  in  1890  his 
own  "Recollections"  was  issued.  Both 
works  are  interesting,  and  the  latter  is 
full  of  delightful  reminiscences  of  famous 
persons  and  famous  occasions.  Mr. 
Childs  died  at  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania, 
February  3,  1894. 


BAIRD,  William  Raimond, 

Tia-aryer,   Mechanical   Engrineer,   Author. 

The   old    Scotch   family   of   Baird   has 
furnished   many   leading  citizens   of  the 
United  States  and  several  were  early  in 
146 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Pennsylvania.  Some  came  direct  from 
Scotland,  others  by  way  of  Northern  Ire- 
land, but  all  retained  the  habits  of  clear 
thought,  patient  industry  and  application 
which  lead  to  success.  Isaac  Baird, 
grandfather  of  William  R.  Baird,  was 
born  in  1788,  in  Scotland,  and  came 
to  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  in  181 1. 
There  he  continued  to  reside  until  his 
death,  August  10,  1829.  He  married  Han- 
nah Duy,  and  they  were  the  parents  of 
William  J.  Baird,  born  December  13, 1827, 
died  September  4,  1909,  in  New  York. 
He  married  Mary  Emma  Cornish,  daugh- 
ter of  Henry  Cornish,  who  was  born  De- 
cember 13,  1807,  died  December  24,  1872, 
and  his  wife,  Ann  Holmes  (Jobson)  Cor- 
nish, descended  from  John  Cornish,  who 
came  from  England  in  1730.  Through  his 
mother's  ancestry,  William  Raimond 
Baird  is  decended  from  Charles  Finney, 
who  came  from  Oxford,  England,  to 
Frankford,  Pennsylvania,  with  William 
Penn.  William  J.  Baird  was  a  chemist, 
a  man  of  strong  physique,  quickness  of 
perception  and  great  will  power,  who,  by 
the  aid  of  his  estimable  wife,  reared  the 
son  to  become  a  good  citizen. 

William  Raimond  Baird  was  born  April 
28,  1858,  at  No.  131  North  Front  street, 
Philadelphia,  and  was  given  excellent  op- 
portunities for  obtaining  an  education. 
He  attended  the  Central  High  School  of 
Philadelphia,  and  subsequently  entered 
Stevens  Institute  of  Technology  at  Ho- 
boken.  New  Jersey,  from  which  he  was 
graduated  with  the  degree  of  Mechanical 
Engineer  in  1878.  Following  this  he  at- 
tended the  law  school  of  Columbia  Col- 
lege, from  which  he  graduated  with  the 
degree  of  LL.B.,  summa  cum  laude,  in 
1882.  In  1878  he  established  himself  in 
New  York  as  a  metallurgical  engineer, 
and  during  his  practice  of  this  profession 
prepared  for  the  practice  of  law,  in  which 
he  engaged  immediately  after  his  gradua- 
tion from  the  Columbia  Law  School,  in 


1882,  in  New  York  City.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  law  firm  of  Baird,  Cox  &  Scherr, 
and  is  a  lecturer  on  patents  and  patent 
law  at  Stevens  Institute  of  Technology. 
In  practice  he  makes  a  specialty  of  patent 
cases,  and  is  counsel  for  many  corpora- 
tions, including  Powers  &  Weightman,  of 
Philadelphia;  the  Keufifel  &  Esser  Com- 
pany of  New  York  and  New  Jersey; 
the  Kny-Scheerer  Company ;  the  Simmen 
Automatic  Railway  Signal  Company; 
and  the  Loew  companies  of  Cleveland, 
Ohio.  Mr.  Baird  has  shunned  connection 
in  political  affairs,  and  has  steadfastly  re- 
fused honorary  degrees  from  college  and 
other  institutions,  but  has  made  a  reputa- 
tion which  brings  to  him  a  valuable  and 
increasing  practice.  He  has  contributed 
much  to  literature  pertaining  to  college 
life  and  to  the  principles  of  law  and  lan- 
guage. In  1882  was  published  "A  Guide 
to  the  Law,"  prepared  in  collaboration 
with  F.  S.  Babcock.  Mr.  Baird's  "Manual 
of  American  College  Fraternities"  has 
reached  the  eighth  edition,  from  1879  to 
1916.  In  1887  was  published  "The  Study 
of  Language ;"  in  1893  "The  Principles  of 
American  Law;"  in  1893  and  1905  "Fra- 
ternity Studies;"  and  in  1915  "Betas  of 
Achievement."  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Society  of  Chemical  Industry,  and  of  the 
Societe  Mineralogique  de  France,  and  in 
1878  discovered  the  relation  between  the 
tensile  and  torsional  strength  of  ductile 
metals.  He  has  been  very  active  in  col- 
lege fraternity  life,  being  a  member  of  the 
Beta  Theta  Pi,Tau  Beta  Pi  and  Phi  Delta 
Phi.  For  eleven  years  he  was  secretary 
of  the  Council  of  the  last  named  organ- 
ization, and  was  the  founder  of  its  journal 
"The  Brief."  He  has  been  editor  of  the 
"Beta  Theta  Pi"  magazine  since  1893,  and 
in  1907  published  a  "Handbook  of  Beta 
Theta  Pi."  His  home  is  in  South  Orange, 
New  Jersey,  where  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  church.  His  politi- 
cal principles  coincide  with  those  main- 
147 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


tained  by  the  Republican  party.  He  has 
been  a  very  extensive  traveler,  and  among 
his  favorite  recreations  are  mountain  life 
and  automobiling.  He  is  a  contributor  to 
"Johnson's  Encyclopedia"  and  the  "En- 
cyclopedia Britannica."  Mr.  Baird  is  a 
member  of  the  American  Geographic  So- 
ciety, and  is  ever  ready  to  cherish  all 
undertakings  calculated  to  increase  the 
sum  of  scientific  knowledge.  His  formula 
recommended  to  the  young  for  success  in 
life  is  "Hard  work  and  more  regular 
application." 

He  married,  September  29,  1886,  Jennie, 
daughter  of  George  W.  and  Olivia  L. 
(Olmsted)  Mansfield,  of  Wilbraham. 
Massachusetts,  granddaughter  of  John 
and  Elizabeth  (Livermore)  Mansfield,  and 
of  Arnold  and  Lorinda  (Pease)  Olmsted, 
a  descendant  of  Governor  William  Brad- 
ford, who  came  from  England  to  Ply- 
mouth, Massachusetts,  in  1620.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Baird  have  no  living  children. 


FORNEY,  John  Wien, 

Distinguished    Journalist. 

John  Wien  Forney  was  born  in  Lan- 
caster, Pennsylvania,  September  30,  1817, 
only  son  of  Jacob  and  Margaret  (Wien) 
Forney,  and  maternal  grandson  of  John 
Wien,  of  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania. 

He  was  educated  in  the  schools  of  Lan- 
caster, became  a  shop-boy  in  his  native 
town,  and  when  eighteen  years  old  enter- 
ed the  office  of  the  Lancaster  "Journal" 
as  an  apprentice.  In  1837  he  became 
editor  and  joint  owner  of  the  Lancaster 
"Intelligencer,"  and  in  1840  he  purchased 
the  "Journal"  and  published  the  "Intelli- 
gencer and  Journal,"  advocating  Demo- 
cratic principles.  He  was  made  Deputy 
Surveyor  of  the  Port  of  Philadelphia  by 
President  Polk  in  1845,  and  removed  to 
that  city,  selling  out  his  paper  and  pur- 
chasing a  half  interest  in  the  "Pennsylva- 
nian,"   the  leading  organ   of  the   Demo- 


cratic party  in  the  State.  His  connection 
with  this  paper  existed  until  1853.  He 
was  clerk  of  the  United  States  House 
of  Representatives  during  the  Thirty-sec- 
ond, Thirty-third  and  Thirty-fourth  Con- 
gresses, and  in  the  Thirty-fourth  Congress 
was  speaker  ex  officio  of  the  house  from 
December  3,  1855,  to  February  2,  1856, 
when  Representative  N.  P.  Banks  was 
elected  speaker.  He  was  an  editor  of  the 
Washington  "Union,"  1853-56.  He  was 
chairman  of  the  Pennsylvania  Democratic 
State  Central  Committee  during  the  politi- 
cal campaign  of  1856,  and  in  January, 
1857,  was  a  candidate  before  the  State 
Legislature  of  Pennsylvania  for  United 
States  Senator,  but  was  defeated  by  Si- 
man  Cameron.  He  advocated  the  princi- 
ples of  States  sovereignty  as  championed 
by  Senator  Douglas,  and  supported  the 
administration  of  Mr.  Buchanan  until  the 
introduction  of  the  Lecompton  constitu- 
tion. He  established  the  "Press"  in  Phil- 
adelphia as  an  independent  Democratic 
newspaper,  August  i,  1857,  and  supported 
Stephen  A.  Douglas  in  i860.  On  Febru- 
ary 3,  i860,  he  was  again  elected  clerk  of 
the  United  States  House  of  Representa- 
tives to  succeed  James  C.  Allen,  of  Illi- 
nois, and  served  until  the  close  of  the 
Thirty-sixth  Congress.  The  same  year  he 
established  in  Washington  the  "Sunday 
Morning  Chronicle,"  which  was  shortly 
afterward  published  as  a  daily.  He  was 
secretary  of  the  United  States  Senate 
from  July  15,  1861,  until  June  4,  1868; 
supported  Horace  Greeley  in  1864,  and 
favored  through  the  "Press"  the  impeach- 
ment of  President  Johnson  in  1868.  He 
sold  the  "Chronicle"  in  1870,  but  con- 
tinued his  connection  with  the  "Press" 
until  1877,  when  he  sold  the  property  for 
$180,000,  and  established  the  "Progress," 
a  weekly  journal.  President  Grant  ap- 
pointed Colonel  Forney  Collector  of  the 
Port  of  Philadelphia  in  March,  1871,  and 
he  held  the  office  for  one  year.  In  1875 
148 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  liiOGRAl'liV 


he  went  to  Europe  as  a  commissioner  to 
further  the  interests  of  the  Centennial 
Exposition  to  be  held  in  Philadelphia  in 
1876.  He  supported  General  Winfield 
S.  Hancock  for  president  in  x88o.  Colo- 
nel Forney's  published  works  included: 
"Letters  from  Europe"  (1869);  "What  I 
saw  in  Texas"  (1872)  ;  "Anecdotes  of 
Public  Men"  (1873)  ;  "A  Centennial  Com- 
missioner in  Europe"  (1876)  ;  "Forty 
Years  in  American  Journalism"  (1877) 
and  "The  New  Nobility"  (1882). 

Colonel  Forney  was  married  to  Eliza- 
beth Matilda,  daughter  of  Philip  Reitzel, 
of  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania.  She  died 
October  22,  1897.  Their  oldest  son, 
Philip  Reitzel,  served  honorably  through 
the  Civil  War  and  died  at  New  Orleans, 
July  14,  1870;  James,  the  second  son, 
was  in  1900  colonel  in  the  United  States 
Marine  Corps ;  and  the  youngest  son, 
John  Wien,  Jr.,  an  editor  and  journalist, 
died  at  Philadelphia,  May  2,  1893.  Mary, 
the  eldest  daughter,  an  artist  of  distinc- 
tion, became  the  wife  of  Henry  Gordon 
Thunder,  a  prominent  musician  and  com- 
poser of  Philadelphia  ;  Anna  W.,  the  sec- 
ond daughter,  became  the  wife  of  George 
W.  Fitler;  and  Tille  May,  the  youngest 
daughter,  a  magazine  writer  and  news- 
paper correspondent,  began  her  career  as 
amanuensis  for  her  father.  Colonel  For- 
ney died  in  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania, 
December  9,  1881. 


WANAMAKER,  John, 

America's      Greatest     Merchant,      Foremost 
Citizen. 

Back  in  the  middle  of  the  past  century 
a  prophetic  Sunday  school  superintendent 
in  Philadelphia  wrote  on  his  roll,  "John 
Wanamaker,  a  good  boy ;  he  will  make 
his  mark."  Today  this  great  merchant, 
who  is  so  many  other  things  besides,  is 
regarded  by  many  people  as  the  foremost 
citizen  of  the  United  States,  and  has  been 


referred  to  by  Sir  Joseph  Lyons  as  "the 
most  remarkable  man  in  America." 

John  Wanamaker  was  born  July  11, 
1838,  at  the  corner  of  Buck  road,  near 
Gray's  ferry  bridge.  South  Philadelphia. 
Seventy-three  years  later,  one  of  the 
features  of  the  "Golden  Jubilee"  com- 
memorating his  fiftieth  year  in  business 
was  the  presentation  to  him  by  store  em- 
ployees of  a  deed  for  the  house  in  which 
he  was  born. 

His  father,  Nelson  Wanamaker,  was  a 
brickmaker.  His  grandfather,  John  Wana- 
maker, was  a  farmer.  The  family  came 
from  Germany  about  the  time  of  the  land- 
ing of  Penn.  His  mother  was  Elizabeth 
Kochersperger,  of  French  Huguenot  de- 
scent. 

The  present  John  Wanamaker  attended 
school  until  he  was  fourteen  years  of  age 
and,  then  obtained  employment  in  a  book 
store  at  a  weekly  wage  of  $1.25.  His 
family  moved  to  Indiana,  but  returned  to 
Philadelphia  in  1856,  and  the  lad  obtained 
a  position  at  $2.50  a  week  in  Barclay  Lip- 
pincott's  clothing  store,  and  later  became 
a  saleman  in  Bennett's  "Tower  Hall,"  on 
Market  street.  While  there  he  was  pro- 
moted several  times,  each  rise  in  rank  be- 
ing accompanied  by  a  rise  in  salary. 
During  this  period  Mr.  Wanamaker  edited 
and  published  "Everybody's  Journal,"  a 
small  sheet  principally  supported  by  ad- 
vertisements, which  he  solicited  person- 
ally, his  employer  being  his  best  patron. 

At  the  age  of  twenty  years  Mr.  Wana- 
maker had  saved  $2000,  had  well  defined 
plans  for  the  future,  and  had  thoroughly 
mastered  the  details  of  the  retail  clothing 
business  as  it  was  then  conducted.  He 
spent  some  time  in  the  south  building  up 
his  health,  and  then  returned  to  Philadel- 
phia to  become  secretary  of  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association,  at  a  salary 
of  $1000  a  year,  and  no  secretary  ever 
enrolled  so  many  new  members  in  the 
same  period  of  time. 
149 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


In  1861  Mr.  Wanamaker  formed  a  busi- 
ness partnership  with  Nathan  Brown 
(later  his  brother-in-law),  each  putting  in 
$2000.  With  this  sum  they  bought  out  a 
readymade  clothing  dealer  named  McNeil, 
in  the  old  Schuylkill  Bank  building,  south- 
east corner  of  Sixth  and  Market  streets, 
and  opened  business  under  the  firm  name 
of  Wanamaker  &  Brown.  The  firm  spent 
their  first  day's  receipts,  $24.67,  on  ad- 
vertising for  the  next  day.  Ready-to- 
wear  garments  for  men  were  not  at  that 
day  popular,  and  the  task  of  popularizing 
them,  which  Mr.  Wanamaker  had  set  for 
himself,  was  not  an  easy  one.  New  ideas 
had  to  be  introduced  in  order  to  interest 
the  buying  public,  but  Mr.  Wanamaker 
was  then,  and  always  has  been,  a  verit- 
able mine  of  new  ideas.  He  turned  to  the 
newspapers  and  began  a  campaign  of  ad- 
vertising that  amazed  the  public  and 
brought  people  to  his  store  in  throngs. 
He  took  the  public  into  his  confidence 
and  convinced  them  that  the  store  was 
there  to  serve  them.  Four  cardinal  prin- 
ciples were  widely  heralded,  the  most  im- 
portant being  "One  price  only,"  and 
"Your  money  back  if  not  satisfied."'  Such 
ideas  were  revolutionary,  and  the  entire 
merchandising  business  of  today  is  built 
upon  them.  Wanamaker  &  Brown  flour- 
ished, and  again  and  again  enlarged  their 
quarters.  Branches  were  opened  in  many 
towns,  and  a  new  store  opened  on  Chest- 
nut street. 

In  1868  Mr.  Brown  died,  and  Mr.  Wana- 
maker continued  alone.  The  Chestnut 
street  store  was  later  transferred  to  S.  M. 
Wanamaker  and  Wanamaker  &  Brown 
incorporated,  with  William  H.  Wana- 
maker president. 

In  1875  the  great  Moody  and  Sankey 
revival  meetings  were  held  in  Philadel- 
phia, and,  when  they  closed,  Mr.  Wana- 
maker, having  purchased  site  and  build- 
ings, converted  the  old  Pennsylvania 
freight   depot   that   covered   the   ground, 


into  a  store  that  was  known  as  the  Grand 
Depot.  This  store  was  opened  almost 
simultaneously  with  the  Centennial  Ex- 
hibition in  Fairmount  Park,  and  in  point 
of  interest  to  Philadelphians  and  visitors 
was  second  only  to  the  international 
group  of  buildings  in  the  Park.  Here  Mr. 
Wanamaker  built  up  a  wonderful  organi- 
zation and  developed  an  immense  busi- 
ness under  his  own  name,  John  Wana- 
maker. 

In  1896,  Mr.  Wanamaker  acquired  the 
New  York  business  founded  by  A.  T. 
Stewart,  and  established  foreign  branch 
houses,  the  Paris  branch  under  the  able 
management  of  his  son,  Rodman ;  an- 
other son,  Thomas  B.,  now  deceased,  be- 
ing associated  with  him  in  the  Philadel- 
phia store.  Mr.  Stewart,  who  was  known 
as  the  "merchant  prince"  of  his  day,  said 
of  John  Wanamaker,  "He  will  be  a 
greater  merchant  than  I  ever  was  or  ever 
will  be." 

In  1902  the  long  contemplated  new 
store  building  in  Philadelphia  was  begun, 
and  on  November  14,  1910,  it  was  com- 
pleted, business  having  been  conducted  as 
usual  in  the  old  store  as  the  great  new 
building  was  growing  up  around  it.  As 
fast  as  new  sections  were  finished,  busi- 
ness was  opened  up  in  these.  At  that 
time  there  was  no  formal  dedication  of 
the  new  building  but  Mr.  Wanamaker 
said : 

This  notable  edifice  of  ours  has  taken  its  place 
as  a  central,  commanding  figure  in  the  city  life 
of  Philadelphia.  Necessarily,  seeing  that  we 
were  occupying  the  ground  while  we  were  build- 
ing, construction  was  retarded,  but  still  beyond 
that,  processes  were  very  slow. 

We  were  not  building  just  a  building,  we  were 
building  the  best  building  that  could  be  had,  be- 
cause we  were  to  spend  our  lives  in  it  and  be- 
cause it  would  be  a  place  of  interest  to  millions 
of  people.  The  first  consideration  was  to  make 
it  safe  for  its  future  occupants. 

This  is  a  national  building,  embodying  the  new 
American  mercantile  svstem  of  retail  commerce 


2150 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


which  has  spread  all  over  the  world.  In  this 
sense  and  in  other  senses  it  is  an  international 
building,  having  commercial  relations  with  all 
the  nations  of  the  world.  I  hope  that  those  who 
follow  me  will  continue  to  build  with  the  plumb 
of  honor,  the  level  of  truth  and  the  square  of 
integrity,  courtesy  and  mutuality. 

Thirteen  thousand  persons  are  employ- 
ed in  Philadelphia,  New  York,  Paris  and 
London  by  the  Wanamaker  organization, 
and  during  the  Golden  Jubilee  of  191 1, 
six  thousand  of  them  assembled  in  Phil- 
adelphia to  honor  their  chief. 

President  Taft  was  present  at  the  for- 
mal dedication  and  anniversary,  and  made 
an  address  in  eulogy  of  Mr.  Wanamaker 
and  his  work.  Honors  were  showered 
upon  the  great  merchant  by  brother  mer- 
chants of  Philadelphia  and  elsewhere,  by 
statesmen,  officials  and  scholars,  and  in 
all  commercial  history  tributes  were  never 
bestowed  so  generously.  There  is  none 
to  question  his  right  to  the  title  of 
"America's  greatest  merchant."  But  the 
distinction  he  won  in  the  mercantile  field 
is  only  a  part  of  the  achievements  of  a 
wonderful  life. 

Mr.  Wanamaker  served  as  president  of 
the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association 
for  about  eight  years,  carrying  forward 
the  erection  of  the  fine  Association  Hall, 
at  a  cost  of  $485,000.  He  has  built  homes 
for  the  Association  in  India,  Japan  and 
Korea. 

He  was  member  of  the  board  of  finance 
of  the  Centennial  Exposition  held  in  Phil- 
adelphia in  1876,  and  aided  materially  in 
raising  the  first  million  dollars  for  it.  He 
was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Mer- 
chants' Bank,  and  acted  as  director  in 
several  others.  For  several  years  Mr. 
Wanamaker  was  a  director  of  the  Phil- 
adelphia &  Reading  Railway  Company. 
He  helped  to  build  the  Presbyterian  Hos- 
pital, of  which  he  was  a  trustee,  and  with 
Mrs.  Wanamaker  built  the  children's 
ward    of    that    institution    at   a    cost    of 


$39,000.  He  was  for  some  years  manager 
of  the  University  Hospital.  He  has 
always  taken  great  interest  in  the  archae- 
ological collection  of  the  Museum  of  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania,  of  which  he 
is  vice-president,  and  has  made  extensive 
and  valuable  contributions  toward  it. 

Wherever  there  has  been  a  movement 
for  the  relief  of  stricken  peoples,  Mr. 
Wanamaker  has  been  found  in  the  fore- 
front of  the  work.  He  acted  as  chairman 
of  the  Citizens'  Relief  Committee  to  aid 
the  Irish  famine  suffers ;  to  assist  the 
Southern  people  at  the  time  of  the  yellow 
fever  scourge,  and  to  help  the  Ohio  river 
flood  sufferers.  He  assisted  in  sending 
from  his  port  a  shipload  of  provisions  at 
the  time  of  the  great  famine  in  Russia, 
and  in  November,  1914,  was  instrumental 
in  sending  two  ships  from  Philadelphia 
filled  with  foodstuffs  for  the  starving 
Belgians. 

In  political  life  Mr.  Wanamaker  is  a 
Republican,  and  has  stood  with  all  his 
might  for  good  government.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Union  League,  and  served 
as  chairman  of  a  committee  to  aid  in  the 
election  of  General  Benjamin  Harrison  to 
the  presidency.  In  recognition  of  his 
efficient  services  during  the  campaign  of 
1888,  and  because  of  his  extraordinary 
administrative  ability,  he  was  appointed 
Postmaster  General.  During  the  four 
years  of  his  incumbency  of  this  post,  Mr. 
Wanamaker  introduced  many  improve- 
ments into  the  Post  Office  Department. 
He  installed  sea  post  offices,  abolished  the 
lottery,  enlarged  free  delivery,  and  estab- 
lished rural  delivery.  He  reorganized  the 
entire  postal  service  of  the  Pacific  slope, 
and  largely  increased  the  mailing  facil- 
ities for  cities  in  remote  p>ortions  of  the 
country.  He  was  an  earnest  advocate  of 
better  reads  to  facilitate  mail  deliveries, 
and  was  a  sturdy  champion  of  postal  tele- 
graph, postal  savings  depositories  and  the 
parcel  post. 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Mr.  Wanamaker  is  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Education  of  Philadelphia.  He 
was  a  delegate  to  the  Republican  Na- 
tional Convention  of  1912,  and  his  name 
was  frequently  mentioned  in  connection 
with  the  Vice-Presidency. 

On  June  29,  191 1,  Mr.  Wanamaker  was 
presented  to  King  Edward  of  England,  at 
the  coronation  lunch  at  Guildhall,  and  he 
was  the  only  guest  of  the  Lord  Mayor  of 
l^ondon  when  the  King  and  Queen  paid 
the  ceremonial  visit  to  the  City  of  London 
in  full  state. 

In  1912  the  French  government,  in  ap- 
preciation of  his  great  service  to  the 
French  people  during  disastrous  floods, 
and  in  recognition  of  his  preeminence  in 
the  business  world,  decorated  him  with 
the  Order  of  the  Legion  of  Honor,  a  dis- 
tinction also  held  by  his  son,  Rodman. 

In  addition  to  all  his  business  and  civic 
duties,  Mr.  Wanamaker  has  done  noble 
work  for  the  church.  Early  in  life  he  be- 
came a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church, 
under  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  John 
Chambers,  and  he  has  always  manifested 
great  interest  in  religious  affairs,  especial- 
ly in  Sunday  school  work.  In  February. 
1858,  he  organized  the  Bethany  Sunday 
school,  with  twenty-seven  scholars,  in  the 
room  of  a  cobbler  by  the  name  of  Kin- 
kaid,  on  South  street,  near  Twenty-first 
street.  Today  Bethany  Sunday  school 
has  a  membership  of  5,000,  and  meets  in 
a  large  stone  building  at  Twenty-second 
and  Bainbridge  streets.  Another  Sunday 
school  was  erected  southwest  of  Bethany, 
and  in  1902  Mr.  Wanamaker  erected  for 
this  congregation  the  John  Chambers 
Church,  at  Twenty-eighth  and  Morris 
streets,  dedicating  the  church  in  honor  of 
his  first  pastor.  Subsequently  he  built 
another  church,  Bethany  Temple,  at 
Fifty-third  and  Spruce  streets,  for  families 
that  have  moved  from  the  "Old  Bethany" 
section  to  West  Philadelphia. 


Early  in  his  business  career  Mr.  Wana- 
maker married  Miss  Mary  A.  Brown, 
sister  of  his  partner,  and  a  member  of  the 
church  he  joined.  Their  beautiful  home, 
Lindenhurst,  begun  in  1880  and  complet- 
ed in  1884,  was  destroyed  by  fire  in  1910. 
It  was  a  veritable  treasure  house  of  works 
of  art,  and  the  loss  was  estimated  at  one 
and  a  half  million  dollars. 

But  this  is  only  a  brief  outline  of  the 
"busiest  life  in  America,"  as  Mr.  Wana- 
maker's  life  has  been  termed.  It  would 
be  almost  impossible  to  assemble  all  the 
achievements  of  this  remarkable  man,  and 
wholly  impossible  to  calculate  how  the 
world  has  benefited  by  his  living  in  it. 

Mr.  Wanamaker's  business  life  has  not 
been  devoted  to  mere  money  getting.  Not 
only  are  customers  liberally  treated,  but 
visitors  are  welcomed  and  entertained  in 
his  great  stores ;  and  working  hours  for 
the  great  army  of  employees  have  been 
shortened  as  well  as  the  full  Saturday 
holiday  given  during  the  summer  months. 
Public  favor  has  been  won  largely 
through  the  cooperation  of  a  loyal  and 
grateful  stafif. 

One  is  staggered  to  learn  of  the  dif- 
ferent schools,  classes  and  other  organi 
zations  open  to  the  Wanamaker  employe 
who  wants  to  improve  himself;  of  the 
careful  attention  to  health  and  well  being 
rind  interest  in  the  employes  shown  by 
John  Wanamaker  and  his  son,  Rodman, 
sole  owners  of  this  great  enterprise. 

John  Wanamaker  is  a  powerful,  a  com- 
pelling personality.  It  dominates  the 
thousands  of  employes  in  his  stores  and 
permeates  the  very  corners  of  the  build- 
ings themselves.  In  Philadelphia  particu- 
larly, where  Wanamaker's  is  an  institu- 
tion rather  than  a  store,  the  people  regard 
the  establishment  with  a  mixture  of  affec- 
tion and  civic  pride. 

Young  men  have  often  asked  Mr. 
Wanamaker  for  advice,  at  the  outset  of 


2it;2 


o 


'^-l^iw  //W/^''/^^^-^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAl'lIY 


their  chosen  careers,  and  whatever  else  he 
has  told  them,  he  has  always  emphasized 
these  three  things — to  be  a  dutiful  son,  to 
observe  the  Christian  Sabbath,  and  to  ab- 
stain from  all  intoxicants. 


HUTCHISON,  David, 

Manufacturer,  Philanthropist. 

Among  those  sterling  business  men 
who,  during  the  latter  half  of  the  nine- 
teenth century,  aided  in  strengthening 
and  upholding  the  most  vital  interests  of 
Pittsburgh,  not  one  stood  higher  in  the 
esteem  of  his  fellow-citizens  than  the  late 
David  Hutchison,  for  many  years  promi- 
nent as  a  brick  manufacturer  and  a  recog- 
nized authority  in  all  that  pertained  to 
real  estate.  Mr.  Hutchison  was  inti- 
mately identified  with  the  political  life  of 
the  metropolis  and  was  the  incumbent  of 
a  number  of  offices  of  trust  and  responsi- 
bility. 

The  name  of  Hutchison  is  of  great  an- 
tiquity. Its  origin  has  been  assigned  to 
Uitchensis,  said  to  have  been  a  Norwe- 
gian who  came  from  Normandy  with 
William  the  Conqueror,  but  there  is  no 
record  of  the  family  after  the  Conquest 
until  1282,  after  which  its  history  is  defi- 
nitely known.  The  coat  of  arms  is :  Arms 
— Per  pale  gules  and  azure  semee  of 
cross-crosslets  or  a  lion  rampant  argent. 
Crest — Out  of  a  ducal  coronet  or  a  cocka- 
trice with  wings  endorsed  azure,  beaked 
combed  and  wattled  gules. 

Peter  Hutchison,  father  of  David 
Hutchison,  was  of  the  old  Scottish  branch 
of  the  race,  but  was  born  in  Northumber- 
land, England,  whither  his  parents  had 
migrated  from  Scotland.  In  youth  Peter 
Hutchison  returned  to  the  country  of  his 
ancestors  and  about  1830  he  came  to  the 
United  States,  bringing  with  him  a  for- 
tune in  gold.  He  settled  near  Marietta, 
Ohio,  on  a  large  tract  of  land  which  he 
bought  from  the  government.     There  he 


devoted  himself  to  agriculture  and  stock- 
raising,  especially  blooded  horses.  Some 
years  before  his  death  he  removed  to 
Toronto,  Canada.  Peter  Hutchison  mar- 
ried, in  Scotland,  a  sister  of  Sir  John  Pat- 
terson, whose  estates  joined  those  of 
Hume,  the  historian.  Another  brother  of 
Mrs.  Peter  Hutchison  was  David  Patter- 
son, a  graduate  of  l^dinburgh  University, 
and  later  a  famous  professor  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  New  York  City.  The  Patter- 
son (originally  spelled  Paterson)  family 
belonged  to  the  same  part  of  Scotland  as 
the  Hutchisons,  and  was  connected  with 
the  Fish  family,  another  old  family  of 
North  Britain.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hutchison 
were  the  parents  of  the  following  chil- 
dren, all  born  in  Scotland :  Christiana 
Fish ;  David,  mentioned  below ;  Isabel, 
wife  of  Mr.  Ashby,  of  Kentucky;  and 
Andrew  J.,  in  coal  business  in  Topeka, 
Kansas,  and  now  deceased.  Christiana 
Fish  Hutchison  became  the  wife  of  David 
Louther,  of  Pittsburgh,  and  their  children 
were:  The  Reverend  Benjamin  D.,  of 
Pittsburgh  ;  Samuel  Hall,  deceased  ;  Har- 
riet Patterson,  widow  of  Joseph  Sproat. 
of  Pittsburgh ;  and  Josephine  P.,  wife  of 
C.  C.  S.  Baldridge,  of  Pittsburgh.  Peter 
Hutchison  married  a  second  time  and  by 
this  union  became  the  father  of  a  number 
of  children.  He  was  a  Covenanter  in  re- 
ligion and  in  politics  a  staunch  Whig.  A 
man  of  strong  convictions,  he  transmitted 
this  trait,  as  well  as  other  characteristics, 
to  his  son  David.  The  death  of  Peter 
Hutchison  occurred  in  Toronto,  Canada. 

David,  son  of  Peter  Hutchison,  was 
born  March  20,  1822,  at  Coldingham,  near 
Berwick-on-Tweed,  Scotland,  and  was 
eight  years  old  when  brought  by  his 
parents  to  the  United  States.  He  grew 
up  on  the  farm  in  Ohio,  obtaining  the  best 
education  furnished,  eighty  years  ago,  by 
the  schools  of  that  then  rather  remote 
region,  and  in  1842,  being  then  twenty 
years  of  age,  came  to  Pittsburgh,  which, 
153 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


during  the  remainder  of  his  long  life,  was 
his  home  and  the  centre  of  his  greatest 
interests. 

In  Pittsburgh,  David  Hutchison  obtain- 
ed employment  in  a  brick  plant  and 
thenceforth  made  rapid  progress  not  only 
in  the  acquisition  of  pecuniary  profit,  but 
in  convincing  all  who  had  any  knowledge 
of  him  of  his  superior  business  abilities 
and  sterling  worth  of  character.  In  a  few 
years  he  had  become  so  firmly  intrenched 
in  the  confidence  of  his  fellow  citizens  as 
to  be  able  to  interest  capitalists  in  his  en- 
terprise of  engaging  in  the  brick-making 
business  for  himself.  The  venture  pros- 
pered, the  business  growing  with  the  ex- 
pansion of  the  city,  and  in  the  course  of 
time  Mr.  Hutchison  became  the  owner 
of  the  two  largest  brick  manufacturing 
plants  in  Pittsburgh,  where  a  dozen  or 
more  of  the  wealthiest  heads  of  families, 
today  prominent  in  public  affairs,  receiv- 
ed their  start  in  life.  Mr.  Hutchison  in- 
vented his  own  machinery  for  grinding 
rock  to  make  brick,  this  being  necessary 
owing  to  the  scarcity  of  brick  clay  at  that 
time.  In  business  circles  the  name  of 
David  Hutchison  became  known  as  that 
of  a  man  of  unflinching  courage  and  an 
integrity  that  was  never  questioned.  Later 
he  engaged  in  tile  manufacture,  having 
purchased  his  machinery  in  Liverpool, 
England.  Being  of  an  inventive  turn  of 
mind,  he  worked  out  the  formula  of  mak- 
ing the  color  known  as  "true  blue",  then 
very  rare,  he  being  the  first  in  America  to 
use  this  process.  He  later  disposed  of  his 
tile  holdings  to  Boston  manufacturers. 
For  years  David  Hutchison  was  an  au- 
thority on  real  estate  values,  carrying  on 
the  business  in  connection  with  the  manu- 
facture of  brick.  He  was  the  largest 
property  owner  in  the  Sixth  ward,  his 
holdings  being  chiefly  residential. 

During  the  Civil  War,  Mr.  Hutchison 
gained  deserved  prominence  by  his  acts 
of  kindness  and  benevolence  toward  the 

21 


families  of  soldiers  at  the  front,  in  some 
instances  supporting  several  households 
outright.  He  also  organized  a  company 
and  sent  it  to  the  front,  and  in  all  his 
political  life  he  measured  up  to  the  full 
standard  of  good  citizenship.  A  thorough- 
going and  ardent  Republican,  he  was 
elected  in  the  early  sixties  to  represent 
his  home  ward  in  the  city  council,  serving 
several  terms.  For  twelve  years  he  was 
a  member  of  the  school  board,  and  for 
twenty  years  served  as  a  member  of  the 
board  of  directors  of  the  poor,  also  filling 
at  different  times  the  offices  of  ward  as- 
sessor and  tax  collector  for  the  Sixth  ward. 
He  was  known  as  a  discriminating  friend 
of  the  needy  and  each  year  was  a  regular 
contributor  to  orphan  asylums,  homes  for 
the  aged  and  many  other  institutions  de- 
pendent upon  the  public.  One  of  his  be- 
nevolences was  an  annual  contribution  to 
the  Sisters  of  Charity,  Ballaghaderin, 
County  Mayo,  Ireland ;  and  each  year  he 
gave  unfailingly  to  the  St.  Paul's  Orphan 
Asylum,  Idlewood.  An  earnest  member 
of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  church,  he 
made  no  distinction  in  his  donations  be- 
tween Catholic  and  Protestant  institu- 
tions. Equally  liberal  was  the  spirit  in 
which  he  extended  aid  to  individuals. 
Perceiving  unusual  merit  in  Bartley 
Campbell,  a  young  man  of  Pittsburgh,  he 
helped  him  in  his  upward  course  until  he 
became  an  actor  and  noted  playwright. 
Indeed,  he  took  special  delight  in  advising 
and  encouraging  young  men,  drawing  out 
the  best  that  was  in  them  and  also  as- 
sisting them  in  more  substantial  ways. 
His  example  and  precept  ever  went  hand 
in  hand,  and  he  was,  as  was  truly  said,  "a 
sterling  neighbor  and  a  good  friend."  In 
his  later  years  he  became  one  of  the  au- 
thorities on  the  early  history  of  Pitts- 
burgh. 

David   Hutchison  was  possessed  of  a 
magnificent  physique,  tall  and  muscular, 
a  perfect  type  of  the  hardy  Caledonian 
54 


igat<mi0ttT)^. 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


race  to  which  Western  Pennsylvania  is  so 
largely  indebted  for  the  development  of 
her  leading  interests  and  the  attainment 
of  her  phenomenal  prosperity.  His  fea- 
tures w^ere  massive  and  finely-formed ; 
his  dark  gray  eyes  were  those  of  a  man 
who  had  seen  and  thought  and  done.  His 
lofty,  expansive  brow  indicated  a  full  de- 
velopment both  of  the  reflective  and  per- 
ceptive faculties  and  his  nobly  formed 
head  was  covered  with  abundant  black 
hair  which  showed  no  streak  of  gray  until 
he  had  attained  his  eightieth  year.  His 
voice,  with  its  ring  of  absolute  sincerity, 
his  kindly  smile  and  his  cordial  handclasp 
are  still  vividly  and  fondly  remembered 
by  his  numberless  friends. 

Mr.  Hutchison  married,  in  1851,  Mar- 
garet, born  August  3,  1828,  in  Philadel- 
phia, daughter  of  James  Mawhinney,  of 
Pittsburgh.  The  Mawhinneys  were  one 
of  the  old  families  of  Western  Pennsylva- 
nia. Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hutchison  were  the 
parents  of  seven  children:  Margaret, 
Adam,  Mary,  David,  and  Sarah,  who  died 
before  reaching  maturity;  and  Jeannette 
P.  and  Anna  Margaret,  who  survive. 
Jeannette  P.  Hutchison  became  the  wife 
of  Joseph  M.  Moflfat,  of  Pittsburgh,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  the  mother  of  the  following 
children :  David  Hutchison,  born  July  6, 
1875 ;  Joseph  McMasters,  born  April  8, 
1877,  deceased;  Jeannette  Patterson, born 
July  15,  1879,  deceased;  Margaret  Agnes, 
born  January  30,  1880;  Clarence  Garfield, 
born  September  i,  1881  ;  Earle  Chester, 
born  April  11,  1883,  deceased;  Ralph  Mc- 
Cutcheon,  born  October  16,  1886;  Paul 
Vincent,  born  June  2^,  1888;  Roy  Fownes, 
born  December  25,  1889,  deceased ;  and 
Clara  Josephine,  born  January  21,  1892. 
Anna  Margaret  Hutchison  is  the  wife  of 
George  Snow,  born  in  Baltimore,  Mary- 
land, now  of  Pittsburgh,  whose  biogra- 
phy, together  with  his  portrait.  Snow 
arms  and  lineage,  are  elsewhere  in  this 
work.  Children  of  George  ard  Anna 
PEN— Vol  VI— 21  2T 


Margaret  (Hutchison)  Snow:  Margaret, 
deceased;  George,  born  November  1, 
1894,  educated  at  Haverford  Prepara- 
tory School,  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania ; 
Helen  Hutchison,  born  September  4, 1897, 
educated  at  Miss  Bennett's  School,  New 
York;  and  Anna  Margaret,  born  Novem- 
ber I,  1903,  educated  at  the  Thurston  Pre- 
paratory School,  Pittsburgh.  Mr.  Hutchi- 
son was  a  man  of  strong  domestic  affec- 
tions and  the  death  of  his  wife,  a  most 
estimable  and  lovely  woman,  who  passed 
away  on  November  28,  1890,  dissolved  a 
happy  union  of  almost  forty  years. 

Some  years  before  the  close  of  his  life, 
Mr.  Hutchison  withdrew  from  the  activi- 
tives  of  business,  continuing,  however,  to 
take  a  keen  and  helpful  interest  in  all 
matters  which  concerned  the  welfare  of 
his  community  and  in  all  affairs  of  state 
and  national  importance.  On  August  20, 
1906,  he  ceased  from  earth,  "full  of  years 
and, of  honors."  A  man  admirable  in  all 
the  relations  of  life — as  business  man  and 
citizen  an  example  to  his  own  generation 
and  to  those  that  were  to  come  after  him. 

David  Hutchison  inherited  from  his  an- 
cestors the  traits  of  character  which  have, 
for  centuries,  made  the  Scotsman  a  power 
in  the  Old  World  and  the  New,  and  it  was 
those  intensely  racial  attributes  which 
made  him  the  ideal  American  citizen  that 
he  was.  With  filial  devotion  he  loved  the 
land  of  his  birth  and  with  all  the  loyalty 
of  his  nature  he  served  his  adopted 
country.  For  three  score  years  his  home 
city,  for  whom  he  did  so  much,  trusted 
and  honored  him  and  never  will  she  cease 
to  hold  him  in  reverent  and  grateful  re- 
membrance. 


SNOW,  George, 

Man  of  Affairs. 

The  predominant  qualities  of  the  typical 
Pittsburgh  business  man  may  be  said  to  be 
insight  and  aggressiveness — the  power  to 

55 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


discern  possibilites  and  the  executive  tal- 
ent to  realize  them.  One  of  the  men  who 
have  most  strikingly  exemplified  the  pos- 
session of  these  qualities  is  George  Snow, 
a  leader  for  the  last  twenty  years  among 
the  city's  real  estate  operators. 

Mr.  Snow  comes  of  old  colonial  stock, 
his  ancestors  having  helped  to  make  the 
history  of  Massachusetts  and  Maryland. 
The  arms  used  by  the  Snow  families  of 
New  England  are :  Arms — Or,  on  a  fesse 
sable  between  a  fesse  embattled  doubly 
embattled,  a  lion  passant  of  the  first,  lan- 
gued  gules.  Crest — A  demi-lion  rampant, 
or,  langued  gules  holding  in  the  dexter 
paw  a  tassel  sable.  Motto — Per  Crucetn 
ad  Coronam. 

Nicholas  Snow,  founder  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania branch  of  the  family  and  first  of  the 
name  to  come  to  America,  landed  in 
Plymouth,  Massachusetts,  in  1623,  having 
made  the  voyage  from  England  in  the 
ship  "Ann."  He  was  one  of  those  allotted 
land  in  1624,  and  in  1654  moved  to  East- 
ham,  Massachusetts,  where  he  became 
town  clerk,  selectman  and  deputy  to  the 
General  Court.  In  1650  and  1652  he  was 
elected  a  representative  to  the  provincial 
government  at  Plymouth.  Nicholas  Snow 
married,  prior  to  1626,  at  Plymouth,  Con- 
stance Hopkins,  daughter  of  Stephen 
Hopkins  and  his  first  wife,  name  un- 
known. Constance  Hopkins  came  to 
Massachusetts  in  the  "Mayflower,"  with 
her  father  and  her  stepmother,  Elizabeth. 
Nicholas  Snow  and  his  wife  were  the 
parents  of  thirteen  children,  one  of  whom, 
Mark,  is  mentioned  below.  The  death  of 
Nicholas  Snow  occurred  November  15, 
1676,  at  Eastham,  Massachusetts,  his 
age  being  presumably  from  seventy  to 
seventy-five  years.  He  was  a  man  of  con- 
siderable wealth  and  eminence  in  his 
community.  His  widow  passed  away  in 
October,  1677. 

(II)  Mark,  son  of  Nicholas  and  Con- 
stance (Hopkins)  Snow,  was  born  May  9, 

21 


1628,  and  in  1643  was  counted  among 
those  able  to  bear  arms  at  Plymouth. 
Later  he  removed  to  Eastham,  where  he 
was  magistrate,  selectman,  and  deputy  to 
the  General  Court.  Mark  Snow  married 
(first)  January  18,  1655,  at  Eastham, 
Anne,  daughter  of  Josias  and  Elizabeth 
(Ring)  Cook,  who  died  July  7,  1656,  leav- 
ing one  daughter,  Anne.  Mark  Snow 
married  (second)  January  9,  1661,  at 
Eastham,  Jane,  born  November  i,  1637, 
at  Duxbury,  Massachusetts,  daughter  of 
Governor  Thomas  and  Mary  (Collier) 
Prence,  and  among  their  sons  and  daugh- 
ters was  Nicholas,  mentioned  below 
Mark  Snow  died  in  1695,  and  the  death  of 
his  widow  occurred  in  171 1,  at  Harwich, 
Massachusetts. 

(HI)  Nicholas  (2),  son  of  Mark  and 
Jane  (Prence)  Snow,  was  born  December 
6,  1663,  at  Eastham,  Massachusetts.  He 
married  and  had  children,  among  them  a 
son  Richard,  mentioned  below. 

(IV)  Richard,  son  of  Nicholas  (2) 
Snow,  was  born,  probably,  at  Eastham, 
Massachusetts.  He  is  known  to  have  re- 
moved to  Pittsfield. 

(V)  Abraham  (sometimes  written 
Abram),  son  of  Richard  Snow,  when  a 
boy  went  to  Fort  Groton,  Connecticut, 
with  his  father,  after  settling  in  Pittsfield, 
Massachusetts.  He  married,  at  Brook- 
field,  Massachusetts,  May  12,  1785,  Eliza- 
beth Hale,  a  cousin  of  Nathan  Hale,  the 
revolutionary  hero.  (See  Hale  Line). 
Among  the  children  of  Abraham  (or 
Abram)  and  Elizabeth  (Hale)  Snow  was 
Charles  Goodrich,  mentioned  below. 

(VI)  Charles  Goodrich,  son  of  Abra- 
ham (or  Abram)  and  Elizabeth  (Hale) 
Snow,  was  born  in  Pittsfield,  Massachu- 
setts, January  11,  1790,  and  later  removed 
to  Baltimore,  Maryland,  where  he  was 
the  owner  of  sailing  vessels.  He  affiliated 
with  the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  was  gen- 
erally known  (no  doubt  by  reason  of  his 
occupation), as  "Captain"  Snow.  He  mar- 

56 


Co 


mw 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF   JilOGRAPHY 


ried  Cynthia  Wight  (see  Wight  LineJ,  of 
Baltimore,  a  descendant  of  the  old  Wight 
family  of  Maryland,  and  their  children 
were  :  Charles  Henry,  mentioned  below  ; 
Edward  Jesse  ;  and  Elizabeth.  Mr.  Snow 
died  in  Baltimore,  aged  about  seventy 
years. 

(VII)  Charles  Henry,  son  of  Charles 
Goodrich  and  Cynthia  (Wight)  Snow, 
was  born  December  14,  1822,  in  Balti- 
more, and  attended  Dickinson  College. 
Afterward  he  engaged  in  the  business  of 
his  father,  sending  merchant  vessels  to  all 
parts  of  the  world.  Like  his  father,  he 
was  a  Mason  and  a  Whig,  but  later  bb- 
came  a  Republican.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  church,  in  this, 
also,  following  in  the  footsteps  of  his 
father.  The  son  cast  his  first  vote  for 
Henry  Clay.  Charles  Henry  Snow,  in 
his  turn,  was  popularly  called  "captain." 
He  was  present,  with  his  father,  when  the 
first  spike  was  driven  in  the  first  rail- 
road between  Baltimore  and  Washington. 
Captain  Snow  married  Ellen  Atkinson  In- 
loes,  whose  ancestral  record  is  appended 
to  this  biography,  and  their  children  were  : 
Jesse,  wife  of  Benjamin  F.  Leitch,  of 
Baltimore ;  William  Inloes,  of  Chicago ; 
Henry,  of  Baltimore,  head  of  the  firm  of 
Snow,  Ward  &  Company ;  Frank,  also  of 
Baltimore ;  Charles  Henry,  junior,  head 
of  the  firm  of  Snow,  Mecaslin  &  Com- 
pany, Baltimore ;  and  George,  president 
of  the  Forbes  Realty  Company,  mention- 
ed below.  On  March  28,  1915,  Captain 
Snow  died  in  Baltimore,  having  attained 
the  very  unusual  and  venerable  age  of 
ninety-two. 

(VIII)  George,  son  of  Charles  Henry 
and  Elizabeth  Atkinson  (Inloes)  Snow, 
was  born  June  18,  1868,  in  Baltimore, 
Maryland,  and  received  his  education  at 
the  Baltimore  City  College.  In  1891  Mr. 
Snovir  entered  the  business  world  in  as- 
sociation with  the  wholesale  and  retail 
coal  business,  in  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylva- 


nia. Me  remained  in  this  sphere  of  action 
four  years,  gaining  experience  and  de- 
veloping that  aptitude  for  afYairs  of  which 
he  has  since  given  such  signal  proof.  In 
1895,  discerning  the  jjossibilities  of  real 
estate,  and  conscious  that  in  that  field  he 
should  have  wider  scope  for  the  exercise 
of  his  abilities,  he  entered  it  with  what 
was  soon  proved  to  be  well  founded  con- 
fidence. Success  even  beyond  his  antici- 
pations attended  him  and,  as  president  of 
the  P'orbes  Realty  Company,  of  Pitts- 
burgh, he  is  today  one  of  the  most  wisely 
aggressive  operators  to  be  found  within 
Ihe  limits  of  the  Iron  City.  In  the  results 
he  has  achieved  it  is  possible  that  the 
personality  of  Mr.  Snow  has  played  no  in- 
considerable part,  expressive  as  it  is  of 
the  traits  of  character  which  have  insured 
his  success.  In  adhering  to  the  Repub- 
lican party,  Mr.  Snow  has  maintained 
the  political  traditions  of  his  family,  but 
has  never  had  either  time  or  inclination 
for  ofifice-holding.  At  the  same  time  no 
citizen  could  take  a  more  loyal  and  help- 
ful interest  in  all  that  concerns  the  \vel- 
fare  and  advancement  of  his  municipality, 
his  state  and  his  country.  He  belongs  to 
the  Pittsburgh  Athletic  Association  and 
the  Duquesne,  Oakmont  Country  and 
Pittsburgh  Country  clubs,  also  the  Sea- 
view  Golf  Club  of  Absecon,  New  Jersey. 
He  and  his  wife  are  members  of  the  Third 
Presbyterian  Church  of  Pittsburgh. 

Mr.  Snow^  married,  November  10,  1891, 
in  Pittsburgh,  Anna  Margaret,  born  in 
that  city.  December  3,  1871,  daughter  of 
the  late  David  and  Margaret  (I\Iawhin- 
ney)  Hutchison,  of  Pittsburgh.  Mr.  Hut- 
chison was  a  brick  and  tile  manufacturer 
and  served  several  terms  in  the  city  coun- 
cil. He  was  one  of  the  city's  most  aggres- 
sive business  men  and  philanthropic  citi- 
zens, and  his  biography  and  portrait  may 
be  found  elsewhere  in  this  work.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  .Snow  are  the  parents  of  the  follow- 
ing children  :  Margaret,  born  November 
57 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


9,  1892,  and  now  deceased;  George,  born 
November  i,  1894,  educated  at  Washing- 
ton and  Jefferson  Preparatory  School  and 
Haverford  School,  Philadelphia;  Helen 
Hutchison,  born  September  4,  1897,  edu- 
cated at  Winchester  School,  Pittsburgh, 
and  the  Bennett  School,  Millbrook,  New 
York;  and  Anna  Margaret,  born  No^ 
vember  i,  1903,  attending  the  Thurston 
School,  Pittsburgh.  Mrs.  Snow,  a  woman 
of  charming  personality,  is  an  accom- 
plished home-maker  and  one  of  the  city's 
favorite  hostesses.  Both  she  and  her  hus- 
band— a  man  of  uncommonly  strong  do- 
mestic affections — delight  in  the  exercise 
of  hospitality  and  their  beautiful  home  in 
the  East  End  is  the  scene  of  many  social 
functions.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Snow  are  active- 
ly interested  in  various  philanthropic  en- 
terprises. 

The  family  of  which  George  Snow  is  a 
representative  has  members  in  all  parts  of 
the  United  States,  many  of  them  filling 
positions  of  importance.  The  Pittsburgh 
branch,  transplanted  from  its  original 
home  in  New  England,  first  to  Maryland 
and  then  to  Pennsylvania,  has  preserved 
in  its  migrations  its  vigor  of  stock  and 
fineness  of  fibre.  This  fact,  proved  as  it 
is  by  Mr.  Snow's  career  as  a  successful 
business  man  and  progressive,  public- 
spirited  citizen,  is  abundantly  recognized 
by  the  metropolis  of  Pennsylvania. 

(The    Inloes   Line). 

Abram  Inloes  emigrated  in  17 12  from 
Holland  to  the  province  of  Maryland.  (In 
Holland  the  name  was  Von  Inloes.) 
Abram  Inloes  was  then  a  lad,  but  when 
past  middle  age  served  in  the  Revolution- 
ary army.  Mr.  Inloes  married,  and  among 
his  children  was  William,  mentioned  be- 
low. Both  as  soldier  and  citizen,  Abram 
Inloes  was  always  a  resident  of  Mary- 
land. 

(II)  William,  son  of  Abram  Inloes, 
was  born  November  24,  1787,  and  served 


in  the  War  of  1812,  with  the  rank  of  first 
lieutenant.  At  the  battle  of  North  Point 
he  commanded  one  hundred  and  seventy- 
six  troops  of  the  Second  Maryland  Militia. 
William  Inloes  married  Mary  Sewell  (see 
Sewell  line),  and  they  were  the  parents  of 
a  daughter,  Ellen  Atkinson,  mentioned 
below.  William  Inloes  died  September 
26,  1854. 

(Ill)  Ellen  Atkinson,  daughter  of 
William  and  Mary  (Sewell)  Inloes,  was 
born  March  16,  1835,  and  died  June  16, 
1910.  She  became  the  wife  of  Captain 
Charles  Henry  Snow,  as  stated  above. 

(The  Sewell  Line). 

The  Sewell  family  is  of  English  origin, 
and  is  first  found  in  Warwickshire  and 
the  Isle  of  Wight.  The  arms  of  the  Sew- 
ells  seated  in  these  places  are  those 
borne  by  the  Sewells  of  Maryland,  and 
are:  Sable,  a  chevron  between  three  bees 
argent.  Crest — A  dexter  arm  embowed 
in  armor  proper,  garnished  or,  holding  an 
acorn  of  the  first.     Motto — Frangas  non 

fliXtCS. 

Henry  Sewell,  the  first  American  an- 
cestor of  record,  was  living  in  Maryland 
in  1 661. 

Richard,  son  of  John  and  Mary  Sewell, 
was  born  December  14,  1760,  and  was  of 
Maryland.  He  married.  June  10,  1783, 
the  Reverend  William  Tompson  officiat- 
ing, Rebecca,  born  August  9,  1767,  daugh- 
ter of  Nathaniel  and  Tamer  Childs,  and 
their  children  were:  George,  born  April 
7.  1784;  Araminta,  born  Aug^ust  27,  1786, 
died  October  16,  1791  ;  Thomas,  born  De- 
cember 26,  1788;  James,  born  May  19, 
1791  ;  Mary,  mentioned  below;  Sarah, 
born  January  7,  1796,  married  Daniel 
Chaytor  (see  Chaytor  line)  ;  William, 
born  March  25,  1798;  Nathaniel,  born 
March  3,  1800;  John,  born  May  19,  1802; 
and  Richard,  born  May  i,  1804. 

Mary,  daughter  of  Richard  and  Rebecca 
(Childs)    Sewell.    was    born    August    19, 

158 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


1793,    and    became    the   wife   of   Captain 
William  Inloes  (see  Inloes  line). 

(The  Chaytor  Line). 

Daniel,  son  of  Joseph  and  Sarah  Chay- 
tor, was  born  December  26,  1783,  and 
married,  March  4,  1813,  the  Reverend  Mr. 
Rylands  officiating,  Sarah  Sewell  (see 
Sewell  line).  Their  children  were:  Re- 
becca, born  May  26,  1814;  Sarah  Ann, 
born  November,  1816;  Daniel,  born  April 
18,  1819,  died  August  3,  1819;  Joseph, 
born  October  15,  1820;  James,  born  April 
8,  1823,  died  May  7,  1823 ;  and  Mary,  born 
December  22,  1824. 

(The   Hale   Line). 

The  name  Hale,  under  the  different 
forms  of  de  la  Hale,  at-Hale,  Hales  and 
Hale,  has  been  abundant  in  Hertforshire, 
England,  since  the  early  part  of  the  thir- 
teenth century.  Within  the  first  fifty 
years  after  the  settlement  of  Massachu- 
setts Bay,  at  least  eight  emigrants  of  the 
named  of  Hale  settled  in  that  colony  and 
in  Connecticut.  The  name  was  also  found 
among  the  early  settlers  of  Virginia  and 
Maryland.  In  New  England  the  name 
has  been  brought  into  prominence  by  Na- 
than Hale,  the  patriot,  by  John  P.  Hale, 
the  distinguished  stateman  of  New  Hamp- 
shire ;  Senator  Eugene  Hale,  of  Maine, 
and  others. 

(I)  Thomas  Hale,  the  earliest  known 
progenitor  of  the  family  herein  consider- 
ed, was  of  the  parish  of  Walton-at-Stone. 
in  Hertfordshire,  England.  No  record  of 
his  birth  is  found,  but  the  parish  register, 
which  styles  him  "Thomas  Hale,  Senior," 
shows  that  he  was  buried  October  19, 
1630.  He  left  a  will  bearing  date  October 
II,  1630,  proved  December  9.  1630,  in  the 
court  of  the  Archdeaconry  of  Hitchin,  in 
the  county  of  Herts,  the  original  of 
which  is  still  on  file  among  the  records  of 
the  court.  He  married  Joan  Kirby,  who 
was  of  the  parish  of  Little  Munden,  Herts, 
which  was  probably  the  place  of  her  birth 


and  their  marriage.  They  were  the  par- 
ents of  five  children:  Dionis ;  Thomas, 
see  below  ;   Mary  ;   Dorothy  ;   Elizabeth. 

(II)  Thomas  (2),  second  child  and  only 
son  of  Thomas  (i)  and  Joan  (Kirby; 
Hale,  was  born  in  the  parish  of  Walton- 
at-Stone,  in  May  or  June,  1606,  and  was 
baptized  in  the  parish,  June  15,  1606.  He 
was  heir  to  the  larger  part  of  his  father's 
estate.  Probably  through  the  influence 
of  his  mother's  brother,  Francis  Kirby, 
Thomas  Hale  became  interested  in  New 
England,  whither  he  removed  and  settled 
in  Newbury,  Massachusetts,  in  1635.  He 
took  from  his  uncle,  Francis  Kirby,  a 
letter  of  introduction  to  Governor  John 
Winthrop,  of  Massachusetts ;  was  a  free- 
man September  7,  1638 ;  was  at  Haverhill 
in  1659,  where  he  was  selectman  same 
year;  returned  to  Newbury,  where  he 
first  resided,  and  died  there,  December  21, 
1682.  His  wife,  Thomasine,  whom  he  mar- 
ried in  England,  died  January  30,  1683,  at 
Newbury.  He  seemed  to  have  been  a 
man  of  prominence  and  public-spirited. 
Children  of  Thomas  (2)  and  Thomasine 
Hale :  Thomas,  born  in  England,  see  be- 
low ;  John  ;  Samuel ;  and  Apphia,  all  born 
in  Massachusetts. 

(III)  Thomas  (3),  eldest  child  of 
Thomas  (2)  and  Thomasine  Hale,  was 
born  in  England,  November  18,  1633,  and 
came  to  America  with  his  parents ;  mar- 
ried, at  Salem,  Massachusetts,  May  26, 
1657,  Mary  Hutchinson,  daughter  of  Rich- 
ard and  Alice  (Bosworth)  Hutchinson; 
lived  at  Newbury,  where  he  died  October 
22,  1688.  Mrs.  Mary  (Hutchinson)  Hale 
was  baptized  at  North  Muskham,  county 
of  Notts,  England,  December  28,  1630. 
The  children  of  Thomas  (3)  and  ^Iar>- 
(Hutchinson)  Hale  were:  A  son,  died 
young;  Thomas;  Mary;  Abigail;  Han- 
nah ;  Lydia ;  Elizabeth ;  Joseph,  see  be- 
low ;  Samuel. 

(IV)  Captain  Joseph  Hale,  son  of 
Thomas   and   Mary    (Hutchinson)    Hale, 

59 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


was  born,  at  Newbury,  Massachusetts, 
February  20,  1671,  and  died  at  Boxford, 
Massachusetts,  February  13,  1761 ;  mar- 
ried (first)  Mary  Watson,  daughter  of 
William  Watson ;  married  (second)  Mary 
Dodge  (widow). 

(V)  Thomas  (4),  son  of  Captain  Joseph 
and  Mary  (Dodge)  Hale,  was  born  Janu- 
ary 8,  1714-15 ;  married  Mary  Kimball,  of 
Bradford,  Massachusetts.  Thomas  Hale 
and  one  of  his  brothers  went  to  Brook- 
field,  Massachusetts,  about  1750,  and 
Thomas  represented  Brookfield  in  the 
State  Legislature  in  1793-4-5-6,  also  1798, 
and  again  in  1810-11.  He  was  also  State 
Senator  in  1798- 1800,  and  known  as  Lieu- 
tenant Thomas  Hale  and  Captain  Hale. 

(VI)  Elizabeth  Hale,  daughter  of 
Thomas  and  Mary  (Kimball)  Hale,  born 
in  Brookfield,  Massachusetts,  May  11, 
1764 ;  married  Abraham  (or  Abram) 
Snow,  May  12,  1785,  at  Brookfield,  Alass- 
achusetts,  as  stated  above. 

(The  Wig-ht  Line). 

John  Wight  was  secretary  in  the  Eng- 
lish government  service  under  Charles  I. ; 
he  espoused  the  cause  of  Charles  I.,  and 
fled  to  Scotland.  Returning  again  to  Eng- 
land under  Charles  II.,  he  was  made  a 
viscount  for  his  attachment  to  Charles  I. 
From  John  Wight  descended  Richard 
Wight,  of  Maryland,  whose  son,  Charles 
Wight,  was  the  father  of  Cynthia  Wight, 
who  married  Charles  Goodrich  Snow,  as 
stated  above. 


THURSTON,  Leon,  M.D., 

Specialist,   Hospital   Official. 

Dr.  Leon  Thurston,  one  of  the  most 
prominent  and  successful  physicians  of 
Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania,  was  born  in 
Richmond,  Virginia,  February  18,  1864,  a 
son  of  James  F.  and  Ellen  Jane  (Edwards) 
Thurston.  He  received  his  education  in 
private  schools  and  early  in  life  engaged. 


for  a  short  time,  in  the  piano  business, 
1885  to  1892.  Entering  Hahnemann  Medi- 
cal College,  Philadelphia,  he  completed 
the  full  medical  course,  graduating  with 
the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  in  1896. 

In  September,  1896,  Dr.  Thurston  locat- 
ed in  Pittsburgh,  opening  an  office  in  the 
Home  Office  Building,  the  first  physician 
to  have  an  office  there.  Specializing  in 
obstetrics,  Dr.  Thurston  rose  rapidly  in 
his  profession  and  soon  became  one  of 
the  leading  obstetricians  in  the  city,  be- 
longing to  the  obstetrical  staff  of  the 
Pittsburgh  Homoeopathic  Hospital  since 
1900.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Allegheny 
County  Homoeopathic  Medical  Society, 
the  Pennsylvania  State  Homoeopathic 
Medical  Society  and  the  American  Insti- 
tute of  Homoeopathy.  While  Dr.  Thurs- 
ton is  a  specialist  in  obstetrics,  he  is  skill- 
ful in  treating  nervous  diseases  and  in- 
tends to  make  a  special  study  of  such 
cases  in  the  future. 

Dr.  Thurston  is  a  lineal  descendant  of 
Colonel  John  Thurston,  who  settled  in 
Virginia  in  Colonial  times.  During  the 
Colonial  period  there  were  two  branches 
of  the  Thurston  family  who  came  to 
America  from  England,  one  to  New  Eng- 
land and  the  other  to  Virginia. 

Colonel  John  Thurston,  founder  of  the 
Thurston  family  of  Virginia,  was  a  grand- 
son of  Robert  Thurston,  chamberlain  of 
the  city  of  Bristol,  England,  in  the  reig^ 
of  Charles  II.  Having  received  a  grant 
of  land  from  the  crown,  Colonel  Thurston 
settled  in  Gloucester  county,  Virginia,  at 
an  early  date  and  became  a  man  of 
distinction  during  the  Colonial  period. 
Among  his  descendants  in  Virginia  was 
John  T.  Thurston,  grandfather  of  Dr. 
Thurston,  who  married  Mary  Ellen  Casey, 
a  daughter  of  Corporal  Casey  of  Wash- 
ington's army,  who  spent  the  winter  at 
Valley  Forge  with  the  troops  and  shared 
the  hardships  endured  by  the  soldiers  of 
the  Continental  army  during  that  trying 
60 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


time  in  American  history.  The  Thurston 
family  of  Virginia  had  been  granted  arms, 
under  Queen  Elizabeth,  a  stork  for  crest, 
and  their  motto  being  Esse  quam  videri. 

James  F.  Thurston,  father  of  Dr.  Thurs- 
ton, is  a  son  of  John  T.  and  Mary  Ellen 
(Casey)  Thurston,  and  was  born  in  Rich- 
mond, Virginia,  March  4,  1841.  He  was 
a  prominent  hat  manufacturer  in  Rich- 
mond for  many  years  and  is  yet  living, 
although  no  longer  engaged  in  active 
business.  Mr.  Thurston  married  Ellen 
Jane  Edwards,  April  20,  1863.  He  has 
been  a  life-long  Democrat  and  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 

On  April  5,  1893,  Dr.  Thurston  married 
Sarah  Wellford,  a  daughter  of  John 
Bapty,  of  Leeds,  England,  a  woolen  manu- 
facturer of  that  city.  They  have  one 
child,  James  Thomas  Thurston,  born 
August  24,  1895,  who  since  he  received 
his  elementary  education  in  the  public 
schools  is  a  student  at  East  Liberty 
Academy  and  will  later  enter  a  medical 
school. 

In  politics  Dr.  Thurston  is  a  Democrat. 
Since  he  was  twenty-two  years  of  age  he 
has  been  a  Mason,  belonging  to  Temple 
Lodge,  Richmond,  Virginia.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Pittsburgh  Press  Club, 
and  has  belonged  to  other  clubs,  but  with- 
drew his  membership  on  account  of  his 
professional  duties.  Dr.  Thurston  is  a 
lover  of  good  music,  and  is  particularly 
devoted  to  the  'cello,  possessing  a  fine 
specimen  of  'cello,  one  of  the  finest  in- 
struments owned  by  an  amateur  per- 
former. Mrs.  Thurston  is  a  member  of 
the  Southern  Women's  Society  of  Pitts- 
burgh, and  served  as  its  president  at  one 
time. 


RINEHART,  Edward  Everett, 

Bnainess    Man,    Musical    Instructor. 

Edward  Everett  Rinehart,  son  of  Wil- 
liam and  Mary  Ann  (Ing)  Rinehart,  and 
father   of   Alfred    Walter    Rinehart,   was 


born  May  19,  1836.  A  biography  of  Wil- 
liam Rinehart,  one  of  the  stalwart  busi- 
ness men  of  the  old  Pittsburgh,  appears 
elsewhere  in  this  work.  Edward  Everett 
Rinehart  was  educated  in  public  and  pri- 
vate schools  of  the  Iron  City  and  in  early 
manhood  served  as  a  steamboat  captain 
on  the  Ohio,  Mississippi,  Arkansas,  Red, 
Tennessee  and  Cumberland  rivers.  Dur- 
ing the  Civil  War  he  rendered  valuable 
service  to  the  Federal  government  by  as- 
sisting in  the  transportation  of  troops. 
After  the  close  of  the  war  Mr.  Rinehart 
associated  himself  with  the  wholesale  to- 
bacco business  of  his  father  and  uncle, 
subsequently  engaged  in  it  independently. 
He  afterward  entered  the  wholesale  cof- 
fee-roasting business  as  head  of  the  firm 
of  Rinehart  &  Stevens  and  was  eventually 
connected  with  the  wholesale  grocery 
business. 

A  taste  for  music  was  one  of  Mr.  Rine- 
hart's  distinguishing  characteristics  and 
he  was  chiefly  known  and  is  best  remem- 
bered for  his  very  valuable  work  as 
instructor  of  music  in  the  Pittsburgh 
schools,  having  served  in  that  capacity 
from  1875  to  1877  ^"d  again  from  1881  to 
191 1,  when  he  retired  on  a  pension  from 
the  city.  From  1877  to  1881,  during 
which  time  Mr.  Rinehart  was  officially  as- 
sociated with  the  Clarion  Coal  Company, 
Clarion,  Pennsylvania,  and  afterward  con- 
nected with  the  firm  of  Allen  Kirkpatrick 
&  Company,  the  schools  of  Pittsburgh 
were  destitute  of  music,  and  it  was  with 
the  liveliest  rejoicing  that  both  teachers 
and  pupils  welcomed  back  their  beloved 
instructor.  Mr.  Rinehart  affiliated  with 
the  Masonic  fraternity,  and  was  a  member 
of  the  Teachers'  Pension  Association, 
which  was  afterward  taken  under  the  city 
government.  In  his  own  special  sphere 
he  was  a  man  of  much  influence. 

Mr.  Rinehart  married,  April  24,  1S61. 
Annie  C,  daughter  of  William  McPheely. 
a  contractor  of  Hannibal,  Missouri,  and 
161 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


their  children  were:  William;  Alfred 
Walter,  mentioned  elsewhere;  Clarence 
C,  connected  with  Reineke,  Wagner  and 
Company,  Pittsburgh ;  Edward  Ever- 
ett ;  Charles  Augustus,  connected  with 
the  Credit  Clearing  House,  Pittsburgh; 
Harry,  of  New  Brighton ;  Anne,  wife  of 
James  Dallas,  of  Pittsburgh ;  and  Edith, 
wife  of  Neal  Young,  also  of  Pittsburgh. 
Edward  Everett  Rinehart,  the  father,  died 
March  21,  1914,  leaving  an  honored  mem- 
ory. 


RINEHART,  Alfred  Walter, 

Prominent  Telegraph  Official. 

Few  Pittsburghers  have  a  longer  record 
of  continuous  usefulness  in  one  line  of 
business  than  has  Alfred  Walter  Rine- 
hart, manager  of  the  Postal  Telegraph 
Company.  For  more  than  a  quarter  of 
a  century  Mr.  Rinehart  has  been  connect- 
ed with  this  organization  and  during  that 
time  has  also  been  identified  with  other 
interests  essential  to  the  prosperity  and 
progress  of  his  home  city. 

Alfred  Walter,  son  of  Edward  Everett 
and  Annie  G.  (McPheely)  Rinehart,  was 
born  July  2,  1864,  and  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  schools  of  Pittsburgh  and  in 
those  of  Clarion,  Pennsylvania.  After 
completing  his  course  of  study  he  was  as- 
sociated for  a  number  of  years  with  vari- 
ous telegraph  companies,  acquiring  the 
experience  which  laid  the  foundation  for 
future  success.  Twenty-seven  years  ago 
Mr.  Rinehart  entered  the  service  of  the 
Postal  Telegraph  Company,  and  has 
ever  since  been  uninterruptedly  associat- 
ed with  that  organization,  steady  promo- 
tion advancing  him  to  his  present  position 
of  manager.  Mr.  Rinehart  was  for  a 
time  connected  with  various  railroad 
companies,  but  now  gives  his  entire  time 
and  attention  to  the  duties  of  the  respon- 
sible position  which  he  fills  in  a  manner 
so  perfectly  competent. 

In  the  sphere  of  politics.  Mr.  Rinehart 


affiliates  with  the  Republicans,  and  in  all 
that  pertains  to  the  welfare  and  progress 
of  Pittsburgh  he  takes  a  thoughtful  and  at 
the  same  time  an  active  interest.  He  be- 
longs to  the  Magnetic  Club  of  New  York 
and  the  Old  Time  Telegraphers'  Associa- 
tion, and  is  a  member  of  Bellefield  Pres- 
byterian Church. 

Mr.  Rinehart  married,  July  6,  1886, 
Mary  Findley,  daughter  of  John  and  Mary 
(Walker)  Young,  who  came  to  Pitts- 
burgh from  Scotland.  Mr.  Young,  who  is 
now  retired,  was  for  years  general  super- 
intendent of  the  Allegheny  Heating  Com- 
pany, being  also  connected  with  other 
corporations.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rinehart  are 
the  parents  of  the  following  children:  i. 
William  Wallace,  born  May  29,  1887; 
now  a  mechanical  engineer  of  Sharon, 
Pennsylvania ;  married  Caroline,  daugh- 
ter of  John  G.  Gregory,  of  Milwaukee, 
Wisconsin,  and  they  have  one  son,  Wil- 
liam Wallace.  2.  Alfred  Walter,  born 
June  24,  1888;  mechanical  engineer,  con- 
nected with  the  McConway-Torley  Com- 
pany. 3.  Florence  Mary,  died  in  infancy. 
4.  John  Clarence,  born  January  5,  1895. 
Mrs.  Rinehart,  a  woman  of  much  intelli- 
gence and  charming  domesticity,  has  been 
to  her  husband,  in  every  stage  of  his  ca- 
reer, a  true  and  sympathizing  helpmate, 
causing  him  to  find  the  hours  spent  at 
his  own  fireside  the  happiest  of  his  busy 
life. 

For  generations  the  Rinehart  family 
has  been  resident  in  Pennsylvania,  the 
members,  in  their  respective  callings, 
serving  the  commonwealth  as  able  men 
and  good  citizens,  and  Alfred  Walter 
Rinehart  has  abundantly  proved  himself 
no  exception  to  the  rule. 


RINEHART,  Edward  Everett,  Jr., 
Corporation    Official. 

Edward  Everett  Rinehart,  junior,  was 
born  May  15,  1869,  and  educated  in  Pitts- 
burgh schools.    For  a  time  he  was  engag- 
162 


/■iT^-^^^J  ^  =.-! . 


ENCYCLUl'KDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


ed  ill  the  insurance  business,  and  then  for 
ten  years  was  connected  with  the  Jones 
eS:  Laughlin  Steel  Company.  About  1901 
he  became  an  official  of  the  Pittsburgh 
White  Metal  Company,  in  association 
with  his  father-in-law,  Marion  C.  Rine- 
hart,  and  he  is  now  treasurer  and  director 
and  New  York  representative  of  this  com- 
pany. Mr.  Rinehart  is  also  secretary  and 
director  of  the  American  High  Speed 
Press  Company  and  the  Automatic  Fur- 
nace Company,  treasurer  and  director  of 
the  American  Lead  Company  and  the 
Rolled  Plate  Metal  Company  and  director 
of  the  DuflFner  and  Kimberly  Company. 
He  is  a  Republican,  belongs  to  various 
clubs  and  is  a  member  of  the  Christian 
Science  Church. 

Mr.  Rinehart  married  Lida.  daughter  of 
Marion  C.  and  Emma  Rinehart,  of  Pitts- 
burgh. Mrs.  Marion  C.  Rinehart,  who  is 
now  deceased,  was  connected  with  the 
Biddle  family  of  Philadelphia.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Edward  Everett  Rinehart  are  the 
parents  of  the  following  children :  Vir- 
ginia ;  Marion  C. :  Herbert ;  and  Kenneth. 


PAUL,  Jacob  Wheeler, 

Man  of  Affairs. 

Imposing  figures  all,  were  the  pioneer 
manufacturers  of  Old  Pittsburgh,  but 
among  those  who  are  still  with  us,  reap- 
ing the  harvests  of  long  and  well-spent 
lives,  there  is  one  who  seems  to  tower 
above  the  others,  not  only  by  reason  of 
material  results  achieved,  but  by  force  of 
purpose  and  elevation  of  character.  We 
all  know  him — Jacob  Wheeler  Paul,  for 
many  years  a  member  of  the  widely 
known  firm  of  Metcalf,  Paul  &  Company, 
and  for  half  a  century  a  recognized  leader 
in  the  manufacturing  world  of  the  Iron 
City.  Mr.  Paul  has  always  been  active  in 
church  circles  and  philanthropic  enter- 
prises and  in  everything  tending  to  further 
the  true  progress  of  his  community. 


The  Paul  family  is  of  French  origin, 
and  was  numbered  among  that  great  host 
of  Huguenots  who  were  driven  from  their 
native  land  in  consequence  of  their  stead- 
fast adherence  to  their  religion.  Admiral 
John  Paul  Jones  (originally  John  Paul, 
having  been  adopted  by  a  Mr.  JonesJ,  the 
naval  hero  of  the  Revolution,  is  said  to 
have  belonged  to  this  family,  presumably 
to  a  branch  which  was  transplanted  to 
Scotland. 

Jacob  W.  Paul,  father  of  Jacob  Wheeler 
Paul,  was  born  in  Germantown,  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  became  a  well  known 
business  man.  He  married  Mary,  daugh- 
ter of  Johan  and  Mary  Wheeler,  of  Saxon. 
Switzerland,  and  their  son,  Jacob  Wheel- 
er, is  mentioned  below.  Mr.  Paul  died  in 
1834,  leaving  the  record  of  an  honorable 
business  man  and  public-spirited  citizen. 

Jacob  Wheeler,  son  of  Jacob  W.  and 
Mary  (Wheeler)  Paul,  was  born  July  27, 
1829.  in  Germantown,  Pennsylvania,  and 
was  but  five  years  old  when  death  de- 
prived him  of  his  father.  He  was  taken 
by  his  widowed  mother  to  Pittsburgh, 
and  there  for  a  time  attended  school, 
spending  one  year  in  the  academy  at 
Sewickley.  His  first  employment  was  as 
clerk  on  a  river  steamboat,  a  position  he 
retained  for  five  years,  then  entering  the 
service  of  Bakewell,  Pears  &  Company, 
glass  manufacturers.  With  this  firm  his 
remarkable  business  abilities  came  into 
play ;  he  was  gradually  invested  with 
more  and  more  responsibility,  and  event- 
ually became  a  partner  in  the  concern. 

In  1872,  after  remaining  twenty-one 
years  with  Bakewell,  Pears  &  Company, 
Mr.  Paul  embarked  in  an  independent  en- 
terprise. He  builtthe  Verona  Tool  Works, 
of  Verona,  and  organized  the  firm  of  Met- 
calf, Paul  &  Company,  the  partners  be- 
ing himself  and  Orlando  Metcalf.  Pros- 
perity attended  them,  largely  in  conse- 
quence of  the  good  management  and  keen 
vision  of  Mr.  Paul  and  his  unalterable 
163 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


principle  of  conducting  business  in  strict 
accordance  with  perfect  integrity  and  fair 
dealing.  The  firm  manufactured  only  one 
grade  of  goods,  never  sacrificing  quality 
to  price.  The  appreciation  of  the  public 
was  manifested  by  their  large  and  con- 
stantly increasing  demand  and  the  arti- 
cles which  the  firm  placed  upon  the  market 
acquired  a  national  reputation.  Eventu- 
ally Mr.  Paul  bought  out  his  partner,  and 
incorporated  the  business,  his  son,  Harry 
S.  Paul,  becoming  president  of  the  com- 
pany. From  this  time  forth  Mr.  Paul 
gradually  withdrew  from  the  activities  of 
the  business,  though  still  retaining  large 
interests  in  the  firm.  He  was  for  some 
years  a  director  of  the  Allegheny  National 
Bank. 

In  politics  Mr.  Paul  is  a  Republican  of 
sixty  years'  standing,  having  identified 
himself  with  the  party  at  its  inception  and 
voted  for  John  C.  Fremont  when  the 
"pathfinder"  was  nominated  for  President 
of  the  United  States.  For  a  time  he  oc- 
cupied a  seat  in  the  council  of  Verona. 
For  years  he  has  served  as  one  of  the 
trustees  of  the  Homoeopathic  Hospital, 
and  in  every  movement  which,  in  his 
judgment,  tended  to  promote  the  public 
welfare,  he  has  ever  taken  a  leading  part. 
In  religious  and  charitable  work  he  has 
been  particularly  active,  having  been  for 
over  sixty  years  a  member  of  the  Protes- 
tant Episcopal  Church,  and  for  forty  years 
served  as  senior  warden  of  St.  Thomas 
Memorial  Church  at  Oakmont. 

Nothing,  perhaps,  has  been  a  more 
powerful  factor  in  Mr.  Paul's  success  than 
the  relations  which  he  has  always  main- 
tained with  his  employees.  Identifying 
their  interests  with  his  own,  he  has  made 
their  welfare  one  of  his  principal  objects 
and  each  man  has  felt  that  his  employer 
was  also  his  friend.  It  is  needless  to  say 
that  harmony  has  always  prevailed  in  his 
works  and  that  the  problem  of  capital  and 
labor    has    been    eliminated    from    those 


claiming  his  attention.  The  lines  in  his 
face  and  the  glance  of  his  eye  alike  give 
evidence  of  his  large  heart  and  benevo- 
lent disposition.  Cordial  in  manner  and 
loyal  in  his  attachments,  it  has  been  his 
good  fortune,  throughout  his  long  and  ac- 
tive life,  to  find  firm  friends  among  "all 
sorts  and  conditions  of  men,"  and  the 
strength  and  dignity  of  his  character  have 
commanded  the  highest  respect  of  the  en- 
tire community. 

Mr.  Paul  married,  December  20,  1852, 
Susan,  daughter  of  Adam  and  Ann 
(Wheeler)  Fries,  of  White  Marsh,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  great-granddaughter  of  John 
Fries,  of  Eastern  Pennsylvania,  who,  dur- 
ing the  administration  of  John  Adams, 
was  sentenced  to  be  executed  for  treason, 
but  was  pardoned  in  consequence  of  his 
great  personal  popularity.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Paul  were  the  parents  of  the  following 
children :  Harry  S.,  whose  biography  ap- 
pears elsewhere  in  this  work ;  Mary,  wife 
of  Harry  W.  Armstrong,  of  Pittsburgh ; 
Jane  B.,  wife  of  Charles  H.  Baker,  of 
Florida;  Ann  W.,  widow  of  Ethelbert 
Nevin,  the  celebrated  composer,  of  New 
York;  Ellen,  wife  of  H.  F.  Skelding,  of 
Connecticut  and  New  York;  and  Edwin 
v.,  who  lives  in  Oregon.  Mr.  Paul  has 
always  been  a  man  of  strong  domestic 
tastes  and  affections,  never  so  content  as 
at  his  own  fireside.  The  presiding  genius 
of  the  home,  the  devoted  wife  and  mother, 
passed  away  on  April  19,  1906,  her  death 
dissolving  a  happy  union  of  more  than 
half  a  century. 

There  is  no  greater  incentive  to  noble 
endeavor  than  the  perusal  of  the  records 
of  those  men  whose  work  has  been  not 
for  themselves  alone,  but  for  the  benefit 
and  uplifting  of  their  fellow  citizens  and 
especially  for  the  aid  and  relief  of  the 
suffering  and  the  unfortunate.  Such  is 
the  record  of  Jacob  Wheeler  Paul  and  it 
should  be  preserved  for  the  instruction 
and  inspiration  of  those  to  come  after 
164 


'r^/^ 


l*^^.s«-^«-«.  s^iv  /^-y 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF   BIOGRAPHY 


him.  The  love  and  reverence  of  three 
generations  are  securely  his,  his  city  de- 
lights to  honor  him,  and  in  full  vigor  of 
mind  and  body  he  looks  back  from  the 
summit  of  the  years  over  a  career  marvel- 
lously well  rounded  and  complete.  May 
the  Pittsburgh  of  the  future  have  many 
like  him ! 


PAUL,  Harry  S., 

Manufacturer,  Financier. 

Harry  S.  Paul,  president  of  the  Verona 
Tool  Works,  has  for  so  long  a  period  held 
a  leading  place  in  the  steel  manufacturing 
circles  of  Pittsburgh  that  his  name  alone 
is  a  sufficient  introduction  not  only  to  his 
fellowr  citizens  but  to  all  Western  Penn- 
sylvanians.  Mr.  Paul,  in  addition  to  his 
prominent  connection  with  the  business 
interests  of  his  native  city,  is  officially  and 
influentially  associated  with  the  various 
other  elements  of  her  life  as  a  munici- 
pality. 

Harry  S.  Paul  was  born  February  13, 
1856,  in  Pittsburgh,  and  is  a  son  of  Jacob 
Wheeler  and  Susan  (Fries)  Paul.  A  bi- 
ography of  Mr.  Paul,  together  with  the 
family  history,  appears  on  a  preceding 
page  of  this  work.  Harry  S.  Paul  was  edu- 
cated in  schools  of  the  Birmingham  sec- 
tion of  Pittsburgh,  and  then  entered  the 
service  of  Bakewell  &  Martheus,  printers. 
At  the  end  of  a  year  he  obtained  employ- 
ment in  the  Crescent  Steel  Works,  re- 
maining there  until  1873,  when  he  became 
associated  with  the  business  of  Metcalf, 
Paul  &  Company,  which  had  been  found- 
ed by  his  father  in  partnership  with  Or- 
lando Metcalf. 

It  was  as  a  clerk  that  Mr.  Paul  first  be- 
came connected  with  the  great  concern  of 
which  he  is  now  president,  but  inherited 
ability  enforced  by  close  application  and 
abundant  energy  rendered  his  advance- 
ment a  question  of  time  only.  In  1877  he 
was  placed  in  charge  of  the  factory  and 


for  five  years  held  this  very  responsible 
position.  At  the  end  of  that  time  the  con- 
cern was  reorganized  as  the  Verona  Tool 
Works,  with  Mr.  Paul  as  president.  The 
perfect  efficiency  with  which  he  has  dis- 
charged the  duties  of  this  important  office 
is  so  well  known  to  the  business  world  at 
large  as  to  render  comment  here  super- 
fluous. He  is  interested  in  various  other 
concerns,  and  is  vice-president  and  direc- 
tor of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Oak- 
mont,  also  president  of  the  Oakmont 
Board  of  Trade. 

Voting  with  the  Republicans,  Mr.  Paul 
is  active  in  all  that  concerns  the  welfare 
and  progress  of  his  community.  For  years 
he  has  been  a  member  of  the  school  board 
of  Oakmont  and  for  some  time  served  as 
its  president.  He  has  been  for  over  twenty 
years  trustee  and  chairman  of  the  execu- 
tive committee  of  the  Homoeopathic  Hos- 
pital of  Pittsburgh  and  for  a  long  period 
has  held  the  office  of  president  of  St.  Bar- 
nabas' Home.  He  is  a  Thirty-second  De- 
gree Mason ;  his  clubs  are  the  Duquesne 
and  Oakmont ;  and  he  also  belongs  to 
the  Pittsburgh  Athletic  Association.  For 
thirt3--six  years  he  has  been  a  member  of 
St.  Thomas'  Memorial  Protestant  Episco- 
pal Church,  also  serving  as  treasurer  and 
vestryman. 

The  personality  of  Mr.  Paul  is  that  of 
an  all-round  business  man — that  is  to 
say,  a  man  whose  business,  however  ag- 
gressive and  indefatigable  he  may  be,  and 
Mr.  Paul  is  emphatically  both,  does  not 
absorb  his  time  and  attention  to  the  ex- 
clusion of  other  interests.  He  is  a  citizen 
in  the  widest  meaning  of  that  word. 
Nothing  that  pertains  to  the  advancement 
of  Pittsburgh  finds  him  unresponsive. 
Dignified  and  alert  in  bearing  and  with  a 
countenance  on  which  are  stamped  his 
dominant  traits  of  character,  he  looks 
what  he  is — a  true  type  of  the  broad- 
minded,  public-spirited  Pittsburgher. 

r65 


ENCYC   OPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Mr.  Paul  married,  December  20,  1877, 
Jennie,  daughter  of  the  late  Caleb  and 
Mary  (Knox)  Lee,  Jr.  A  biography  of 
Mr.  Lee  appears  elsewhere  in  this  work. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Paul  are  the  parents  of 
three  daughters  and  one  son :  Alice  Knox, 
educated  at  Bishop  Bowman  Institute 
and  the  Pennsylvania  College  for  Women, 
married  C.  V.  D.  Tiers,  of  Oakmont,  and 
has  three  children,  Alice  Paul,  Eleanor 
and  Dorothy ;  Mary  Lee,  educated  at 
Bishop  Bowman  Institute ;  Susan,  edu- 
cated at  St.  Margaret's  School,  Water- 
bury,  Connecticut,  married  W.  R.  Bauer- 
smith,  of  Oakmont,  and  has  one  child, 
Pauline;  and  Harry  S.,  born  July  31, 1898, 
attended  Kiskimenatas  Academy,  and  is 
now  a  student  at  Bucknell  College.  Mrs. 
Paul,  who  is  a  woman  of  most  winning 
personality,  is  actively  interested  in  vari- 
ous philanthropic  societies  and  both  she 
and  her  husband  delight  in  the  exercise  of 
hospitality.  The  whole  family  are  ex- 
tremely popular  socially. 

Mr.  Paul  is  intensely  active,  but  his  is 
the  activity  which  is  chiefly  manifest  in 
results.  He  works  forcefully  but  quietly 
and  the  community  does  not  always  fully 
realize  what  he  is  accomplishing  until  the 
finished  product  is  given  to  the  world. 
The  impression  then  engraved  on  the 
public  mind  and  memory  is  complete  and 
lasting. 


McMASTER,  William  Alexander, 

Prominent    Business   Man. 

A  business  man  of  quiet  but  acknowl- 
edged force  and  a  public-spirited,  philan- 
thropic citizen  was  the  late  William  Alex- 
ander McMaster,  for  many  years  junior 
member  of  the  old  and  well  known  firm 
of  S.  C.  McMaster  &  Company.  Mr. 
McMaster  was  identified  throughout  his 
entire  life  with  the  interests  of  his  native 
city,  with  a  number  of  which  he  was  long 
and  closelv  associated. 


Samuel  C.  McMaster,  father  of  William 
Alexander  McMaster,  was  born  in  Lig- 
onier,  Pennsylvania,  and  at  the  age  of 
twenty-two  came  to  Pittsburgh,  where 
the  remainder  of  his  long  life  was  passed. 
Engaging  in  the  milling  business  he  was 
for  a  number  of  years  associated  with  the 
old  Iron  City  Flour  Mills  on  the  North 
Side.  Later  he  founded  the  firm  of  S.  C. 
McMaster  &  Company  and  operated  mills 
at  Canton  and  Malvern,  Ohio.  He  was  a 
director  of  the  Thomas  R.  Mackey  Bak- 
mg  Company.  Mr.  McMaster's  religious 
affiliations  were  with  the  Fourth  United 
Presbyterian  Church  of  which  he  was  a 
member.  He  married  Sarah  J.  Mcllvain, 
of  Sewickley,  and  their  children  were: 
Harriet,  wife  of  J.  Lee  Winters,  of  Edge- 
worth  ;  Mame  C. ;  and  William  Alexan- 
der, mentioned  below.  Mr.  McMaster 
died  in  January,  1908.  He  was  one  of  the 
pioneer  flour  merchants  of  Pittsburgh  and 
a  highly  respected  citizen. 

William  Alexander,  son  of  Samuel  C. 
and  Sarah  J.  (Mcllvain)  McMaster,  was 
born  August  30,  1875,  i"  Sewickley,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  received  his  education  in 
schools  of  his  native  city,  also  attending 
the  old  Western  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania (now  University  of  Pittsburgh), 
and  while  there  was  a  member  of  its  glee 
club.  Early  in  life  he  was  associated  with 
his  father  in  the  latter's  large  and  flourish- 
ing business  with  which  he  was  thence- 
forth identified.  His  sound  judgment, 
capable  management  and  clear  foresight 
admirably  fitted  him  for  the  career  he  had 
chosen,  and  his  unremitting  and  thought- 
ful supervision  was  of  inestimable  benefit 
to  the  firm.  He  was  a  director  of  the 
Famous  Biscuit  Company. 

The  principles  of  the  Republican  party 
always  received  the  support  of  Mr.  Mc- 
Master's influence  and  vote.  A  thirty-sec- 
ond degree  Mason,  he  affiliated  with  Dal- 
las Lodge,  No.  508,  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons,  and  the  Scottish  Rite  Masons. 
166 


yV  ^£'<^^f^^^'^  i^Bi-e  J'/^y 


fZlAyvcY  A/, 


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..^ijVat^r^^/ /'i.i  tr^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


He  was  a  member  of  the  Eleventh  United 
Presbyterian  Church,  serving  for  the  last 
ten  years  of  his  life  on  its  board  of 
trustees.  In  church  and  charitable  work 
he  took  an  active  part.  In  fact,  it  might 
be  said  that,  while  assiduous  in  business 
matters,  his  nature  found  its  fullest  and 
most  congenial  exercise  in  benevolent 
enterprises.  His  countenance  and  manner 
were  strongly  expressive  of  the  kindness 
of  his  heart  and  the  liberality  of  his  senti- 
ments and  the  loyalty  in  friendship  which 
was  one  of  his  dominant  characteristics 
he  inspired  in  all  who  were  brought  into 
contact  with  him  either  in  business  or 
social  life.  Mr.  McMaster  married  Lillie 
M.,  daughter  of  John  C.  and  Mary  E. 
(Curts)  Reed,  of  Pittsburgh,  finding  in 
this  union  a  source  of  happiness  and  an 
inspiration  to  duty.  Mrs.  McMaster  was 
in  all  respects  an  ideal  helpmate  mak- 
ing the  home  over  which  she  presided  a 
refuge  where  her  husband  could  ever  find 
the  repose  so  essential  to  an  over-wrought 
business  man.  Mrs.  McMaster  is  active 
in  Pittsburgh  society. 

The  death  of  Mr.  McMaster  occurred 
September  i8,  1913.  He  passed  away 
loved  by  many  and  respected  by  all,  hav- 
ing presented  in  his  daily  life  an  example 
of  those  virtues  which  form  the  ground- 
work of  the  prosperity  of  every  commu- 
nity. By  his  record  of  ability  and  honor 
as  a  business  man  Mr.  McMaster  earned 
the  highest  esteem  of  his  fellow-citizens 
and  as  "one  who  loved  his  fellow-men" 
his  memory  is  cherished  in  many  grateful 
hearts. 


TINKER,  Harry  George, 

Iiaixryer. 

Among  the  lawyers  who  have  been,  for 
the  last  twenty  years,  in  constant  practice 
at  the  Pittsburgh  bar.  is  Harry  George 
Tinker.  Mr.  Tinker's  devotion  to  his  pro- 
fession has  been  marked  by  a  concentra- 


tion of  efifort  which  has,  to  a  great  degree, 
precluded  his  participation  in  interests  ly- 
ing beyond  its  limits. 

Joshua  Tinker,  great-grandfather  of 
Harry  George  Tinker,  was  born  June  17, 
1777,  in  Yorkshire,  England,  and  about 
1805  emigrated  to  the  United  States,  ac- 
companied by  his  wife  and  children,  set- 
tling in  that  part  of  Allegheny  county, 
Pennsylvania,  which  afterwards  became 
Lawrenceville,  and  which  is  now  in  the 
city  of  Pittsburgh.  In  his  native  land 
Joshua  Tinker  had  been  a  woolen  manu- 
facturer, and  after  residing  for  some  time 
in  Allegheny  county,  moved  to  Butler 
county,  where  he  established  the  same 
business.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Church  of  England,  as  was  his  wife,  Ann 
Wainwright,  born  at  Bankhouse,  near 
Penistone,  Yorkshire.  Their  children 
were:  Uriah,  mentioned  below;  Char- 
lotte, born  August  28,  1801,  died  in  1894; 
George,  born  June  4,  1803,  died  Septem- 
ber 21,  1803;  William  Jarvis,  born  De- 
cember I,  1804;  Jarvis  Wainwright,  born 
June  15,  1808,  died  July  5,  1879;  Hannah 
Jarvis,  born  July  17,  1810,  died  1899;  Ed- 
win, born  March  11,  1812;  Charles,  born 
June  I,  1814;  Zachariah  Wainwright,  born 
December  18,  1816;  Joseph  Wainwright, 
born  February  15,  1821  ;  and  George  (2), 
born  March  25,  1824,  died  in  January, 
1904.  Joshua  Tinker,  the  father,  died 
February  2,  1854. 

(II)  Uriah,  son  of  Joshua  and  Ann 
(Wainwright)  Tinker,  was  born  Febru- 
ary 24,  1800,  in  Yorkshire,  England,  and 
married  Frances  Raynor.  of  Penistone, 
England.  Both  he  and  his  wife  died  in 
the  year  1877. 

(III)  Francis,  son  of  Uriah  and  Frances 
(Raynor)  Tinker,  was  born  March  21, 
1840,  at  Thurlstone,  near  Penistone,  York- 
shire, England.  In  early  life  he  was  ap>- 
prenticed  to  and  learned  the  trade  of  car- 
penter and  joiner,  his  education  being 
obtained  at  the  ha1f-dav  sessions  of  the 


2167 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


grammar  school.  He  came  to  Pittsburgh 
in  i860,  and  for  some  few  years  followed 
his  trade,  later  embarking  as  a  building 
contractor,  which  business  he  followed 
until  his  retirement;  and  now,  although 
not  actively  engaged  he  still  retains  his 
identity  with  different  industries  in  the 
Lawrenceville  district.  In  politics  he  was 
always  identified  with  the  Republican 
party.  Francis  Tinker  married  Amelia 
Caroline,  born  September  16,  1844,  in 
Washington,  District  of  Columbia,  daugh- 
ter of  August  and  Ernestine  (Fredericks) 
Haller,  who  were  natives  of  Germany, 
and  who  with  their  children  came  to 
Western  Pennsylvania,  making  the  trip 
from  Philadelphia  to  Pittsburgh  by  the 
old  canal,  and  settling  in  the  borough  of 
Lawrenceville.  Children  of  Francis  and 
Amelia  Caroline  (Haller)  Tinker:  Uriah, 
of  Pittsburgh ;  Harry  George,  mentioned 
below ;  Wesley  Raynor,  secretary  and 
treasurer  of  Samuel  Trethewey  Company, 
Limited,  Pittsburgh ;  and  Pearl  Frances, 
wife  of  A.  M.  Brown,  of  Oakmont.  Penn- 
sylvania. 

(IV)  Harry  George,  son  of  Francis  and 
Amelia  Caroline  (Haller)  Tinker,  was 
born  April  15,  1868,  in  Pittsburgh.  He 
received  his  preparatory  education  in  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  city,  attend- 
ing the  ward  school  and  the  high  school, 
from  the  latter  of  which  he  graduated  in 
1888.  In  the  fall  of  1889  he  entered  Am- 
herst College,  graduating  with  the  class 
of  1893,  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Arts. 

On  June  23,  1888,  Mr.  Tinker  registered 
as  a  law  student,  and  pursued  his  studies 
under  the  guidance  of  Messrs.  Shiras  and 
Dickey,  of  Pittsburgh.  On  June  15,  1895, 
on  motion  of  William  R.  Blair,  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  of  Allegheny  county. 
Without  delay  Mr.  Tinker  began  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession,  and  has,  in  the 
course  of  time,  acquired  an  extensive  and 
desirable   clientele.      His    reputation    for 

2 


sound  judgment  and  keen  perception,  no 
less  than  for  thorough  acquaintance  with 
the  law,  has  given  him  an  assured  stand- 
ing at  the  bar,  and  has  gained  for  him  the 
respect  and  confidence  of  the  legal  fra- 
ternity and  the  general  public. 

In  the  sphere  of  politics  Mr.  Tinker 
has  always  adhered  to  the  Republican 
party,  but  has  no  inclination  for  ofifice, 
preferring  to  devote  his  whole  time  and 
attention  to  the  strict  fulfillment  of  his 
professional  obligations.  In  1903  he  was 
elected  secretary  of  the  Allegheny  Bar 
.Association,  a  position  which  he  has  ever 
since  continuously  retained.  His  person- 
ality is  that  of  the  reserved  and  astute  but 
keenly  observant  lawyer,  quiet,  dignified 
and  courteous. 

Mr.  Tinker's  record  may  be  summar- 
ized in  few  and  simple  but  most  signifi- 
cant words :  He  is  an  able  member  of  his 
profession  and  a  useful  citizen.  As  such 
Pittsburgh  needs  him  and  will  always 
continue  to  need  men  of  his  unobtrusive 
hut  effective  type. 


Mcknight,  Charles, 

Man   of   liarge   Affairs. 

Charles  McKnight,  son  of  the  late 
Charles  and  Jeannie  (Baird)  McKnight, 
was  born  at  Sewickley,  Pennsylvania, 
September  2,  1863.  A  biography  of 
Charles  McKnight,  the  father,  together 
with  his  portrait,  appears  elsewhere  in 
this  work. 

Charles  McKnight  was  educated  in  the 
Ljrammar  and  high  school  of  Sewickley  and 
in  the  schools  of  Philadelphia.  He  is  now 
president  and  director  of  the  Western  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Pittsburgh  ;  president  and 
director  of  the  Carbon  Steel  Company ; 
president  and  director  of  the  Interior 
Finish  Company ;  president  and  director 
of  the  Western  Coke  Company  ;  treasurer 
and  director  of  the  Pittsburgh  Iron  and 
Steel  Foundry  Company;  director  of  the 
168 


vT^Ctt*.*^  /k:  Choy^j^/f/ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Westinghouse  Air  Brake  Company ;  presi- 
dent of  the  Pittsburgh  Clearing  House 
Association.  He  is  a  Republican  in  poli- 
tics, and  in  religion  is  a  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church.  Of  social  nature, 
Mr.  McKnight  is  a  member  of  the 
Duquesne,  Pittsburgh  and  Allegheny 
Country  clubs  of  Pittsburgh;  the  Pitts- 
burgh Athletic  Association;  the  Metro- 
politan, Union  League,  Recess  and  Play- 
ers clubs  of  New  York,  and  the  Metro- 
politan Club  of  Washington,  D.  C.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  Pennsylvania  So- 
ciety in  New  York. 

Mr.  McKnight  married,  October  31, 
1888,  Miss  Eliza  C,  daughter  of  Samuel  T. 
and  Mary  (Davis)  Wilson,  of  Pittsburgh, 
Pennsylvania.  Children  of  Charles  and 
Eliza  C.  (Wilson)  McKnight:  Rachel 
Lowrie ;  Eleanor  Baird ;  Charles,  junior, 
bom  September  16,  1891 ;  Robert  Wilson, 
born  August  21,  1904;  and  Francis  Har- 
lan, born  August  2,  1900.  Mrs.  McKnight 
is  a  member  of  the  Twentieth  Century 
Club  and  Women's  Club  of  Sewickley. 


BAKEWELL,  Thomas  Woodhouse, 

Finely  Equipped  Corporation  Lai^yer. 

Conspicuous  among  the  brightest  and 
best  of  the  members  of  the  Pittsburgh 
bar  was  the  late  Thomas  Woodhouse 
Bakewell,  head  of  the  firm  of  Bakewell 
&  Byrnes  and  general  counsel  of  the 
United  States  Steel  Corporation.  Al- 
though obliged  by  the  demands  of  this 
position  to  reside  during  the  latter  years 
of  his  life  in  the  neighborhood  of  New  York, 
Mr.  Bakewell  ever  remained  a  true  Pitts- 
burgher,  and  his  high  character,  reputa- 
tion, abilities  and  success  were  put  to  the 
honor  and  credit  of  his  native  city. 

Thomas  Woodhouse  Bakewell  was  born 
October  27,  1861,  at  "Sunnyside,"  at 
that  time  in  McClure  township,  but  now 
in  lower  Allegheny,  and  was  a  son  of 
the   late   William    and   Jane    H.    (Camp- 


bell) Bakewell.  Mr.  Bakewell,  whose 
biography  and  portrait  appear  elsewhere 
in  this  work,  was  for  over  half  a  cen- 
tury a  member  of  the  Pittsburgh  bar, 
founder  and  for  many  years  leader  of 
the  patent  practice  in  that  city.  In 
the  early  seventies  the  family  moved 
to  Arnold  Station,  on  the  Allegheny 
Valley  railroad,  and  it  was  there  that 
Thomas  Woodhouse  Bakewell  grew  to 
manhood.  He  attended  Rutgers  College 
Preparatory  School,  in  New  Brunswick, 
New  Jersey,  his  great-uncle,  Dr.  William 
Campbell,  being  then  president  of  the  col- 
lege. From  the  preparatory  school  he 
passed  to  the  college,  graduating  with 
honors  in  1881.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Phi  Beta  Kappa  Society. 

Immediately  thereafter  Mr.  Bakewell 
entered  the  law  department  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  Pennsylvania,  where  he  spent 
two  years  under  the  preceptorship  of  the 
late  E.  Coppee  Mitchell,  dean  of  the 
faculty,  and  in  1883  received  his  degree. 
At  once  Mr.  Bakewell  entered  upon  the 
active  practice  of  his  profession  in  the 
office  of  Bakewell  &  Kerr,  the  members 
of  the  firm  being  William  Bakewell  and 
his  nephew,  Thomas  B.  Kerr,  now  of  New 
York.  During  the  first  few  years  he  did 
not  devote  himself  exclusively  to  patent 
law,  his  desire  being  to  obtain  a  general 
knowledge  of  legal  principles  and  practice, 
but  within  a  short  time  the  retirement  of 
Mr.  Kerr  from  the  firm  gave  him  so  much 
of  the  patent  practice  to  attend  to  that  he 
was  forced  to  give  his  whole  time  to 
that  branch  of  the  law,  forming,  with  his 
father  and  his  brother,  James  K.  Bake- 
well,  the  partnership  of  W.  Bakewell  & 
Sons.  In  January,  1901,  after  the  death  of 
his  father,  Mr.  Bakewell  organized  the 
firm  of  Bakewell  &  Byrnes,  his  partner  be- 
ing Clarence  P.  Byrnes,  who  had  been  as- 
sociated with  him  ever  since  1891. 

Before  1905  Mr.  Bakewell  had  become 
the  representative  of  many  of  the  under- 
169 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


lying  companies  of  the  United  States 
Steel  Corporation  as  general  counsel  in 
patent  litigation,  and  thus  it  naturally 
came  to  pass  in  the  summer  of  that  year 
that  he  was  called  to  succeed  John  R. 
Bennett,  whose  sudden  death  left  vacant 
the  office  of  general  counsel  to  the  United 
States  Steel  Corporation.  In  September, 
1905,  Mr.  Bakewell  was  appointed  by  the 
corporation  general  counsel  in  patent 
cases.  This  appointment  and  the  large 
general  practice  he  had  acquired  in  New 
York  made  it  necessary  in  igo6  for  him 
to  make  his  home  in  Plainfield,  New 
Jersey,  although  his  office  in  Pittsburgh 
claimed  much  of  his  time. 

In  addition  to  those  qualities  of  mind 
which  made  Mr.  Bakewell  a  well-equipped 
lawyer,  he  possessed  aptitude  for  and 
comprehension  of  mechanical  problems, 
thus  being  both  a  good  lawyer  and  a  good 
mechanic,  and  endowed,  moreover,  with 
excellent  business  judgment.  His  manner 
of  conducting  a  case  was  characteristic. 
He  studied  and  understood  it,  formulated 
his  theory  of  it  with  great  accuracy,  de- 
veloped it  quietly  and  thoroughly  and 
submitted  it  in  simple,  lucid  terms.  At 
the  same  time  he  was  never  lacking  in  re- 
source to  meet  the  exigencies  of  trial  and 
his  deference  was  such  as  not  infrequent- 
ly to  lead  his  colleague  or  the  court  to 
adopt  his  view  as  original,  the  other  suj>- 
posing  it  to  be  his  own.  Power  of  ap- 
plication and  concentration,  lucidity  of 
thought  and  expression,  were  his  best  in- 
tellectual assets  and  brought  him  into 
prominence  among  the  foremost  men  in 
his  profession.  His  manner  of  speaking 
was  unstudied  and  he  spoke  easily  and 
earnestly.  He  did  not  rush  to  conclu- 
sions, but  developed  his  argument  gradu- 
ally with  a  tremendous  and  often  irre- 
sistible cumulative  efifect. 

With  much  of  the  important  patent  liti- 
gation of  recent  years  Mr.  Bakewell  was 
concerned  and  among  the  counsels  on  his 


side  of  the  question  his  was  the  control- 
ling mind.  In  the  case  of  the  Carnegie 
Steel  Company  versus  the  Cambria  Iron 
Company,  in  which  his  brief  and  oral 
argument  were  largely  responsible  for  the 
reversal  by  the  Supreme  Court,  a  doubt- 
ful question  of  process  patents  was  set 
at  rest. 

In  politics  Mr.  Bakewell  was  a  Repub- 
lican, but  would  never  consent  to  become 
a  candidate  for  office,  preferring  to  con- 
centrate his  energies  on  his  professional 
responsibilities.  To  every  measure  which 
he  felt  conserved  the  interest  of  good 
government  he  gave  loyal  support  and 
his  charities  were  numerous  but  unosten- 
tatious. 

With  a  luminovts  and  vigorous  intellect 
Mr.  Bakewell  combined  a  most  winning 
personality  and  a  high  degree  of  magnet- 
ism. Inheriting  his  father's  sturdy  mind, 
tenacious  memory,  moral  uprightness  and 
thirst  for  knowledge,  he  was,  all  his  life, 
a  reader  of  books,  catholic  in  his  tastes 
and  always  retaining  in  his  memory 
whatever  was  of  good  in  what  he  read. 
A  ready  linguist,  he  delighted  in  the 
classic  authors  of  Greece  and  Rome,  in 
his  library  were  many  volumes  of  the  best 
French,  German  and  Italian  literature, 
and  during  a  brief  sojourn  in  Mexico  he 
obtained  a  working  knowledge  of  Spanish. 
He  was,  indeed,  a  man  nobly  planned, 
possessing  generous  impulses  and  a  chiv- 
alrous sense  of  honor,  ardent  in  his  friend- 
ships and  valiantly  loyal  to  every  trust 
and  every  obligation.  His  clear-cut,  in- 
cisive face  was  eloquent  of  force  of  char- 
acter and  strength  of  intellect,  his  eyes, 
which  shone  with  a  keen,  steadfast  radi- 
ance, were  at  once  those  of  the  thinker 
and  the  observer  and  his  erect  form  and 
alert  bearing  gave  assurance  of  the  inex- 
haustible energy  and  straight  forward 
manliness  which  constituted  the  basis  of 
his  character  and  the  cornerstone  of  his 
success.  His  courtesy,  under  all  circum- 
170 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


stances,  was  unfailing,  and  his  aspect  had 
at  times  a  geniality  which  won  the  hearts 
of  all  with  whom  he  was  brought  in  con- 
tact. He  was  a  singularly  pure,  simple, 
modest  man,  a  great  lawyer  and  a  cul- 
tured Christian  gentleman. 

Mr.  Bakewell  married,  September  i8, 
1884,  Anne  Campbell,  daughter  of  Dr. 
Cyrus  B.  and  Euphemia  Gififord  (Kerr) 
King,  of  Allegheny.  A  biography  and 
portrait  of  Dr.  King  appears  elsewhere  in 
this  work.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bakewell  were 
the  parents  of  two  children :  Euphemia, 
who  became  the  wife  of  Henry  W.  Brow- 
er,  of  New  York;  and  Allan  Campbell, 
now  a  student  at  Harvard  Law  School, 
having  graduated  from  Princeton  in  1914. 
In  his  domestic  relations  Mr.  Bakewell 
was  singularly  happy.  The  governing 
motive  of  his  life  was  love  for  his  home 
and  family,  and  all  those  who  were  privi- 
leged to  be  his  guests  can  testify  to  his 
charm  as  a  host, — his  unfailing  courtesy, 
his  wit  which  never  left  a  sting  and  his 
quick,  generous  sympathies.  Mrs.  Bake- 
well,  in  her  widowhood  resides  in  New 
York,  and  has  a  summer  home,  "The  Or- 
chard," at  Clayton,  New  York. 

On  the  morning  of  July  7,  1909,  while 
arguing  the  case  of  the  Mississippi  Wire 
Glass  Company  versus  the  Highland 
Glass  Company  in  the  Circuit  Court  of 
the  United  States  in  Pittsburgh,  Mr. 
Bakewell  was  stricken,  and  within  an 
hour  had  passed  away,  falling,  as  has 
been  well  said,  "like  the  soldier  that  he 
was,  at  his  post."  This  gifted  and  lovable 
man  and  great  lawyer  had  not  yet  com- 
pleted his  forty-eighth  year  when  he  was 
called  from  the  scenes  and  activities  of 
earth,  and  by  the  withdrawal  of  so  rich 
and  rare  a  spirit  the  community  lost  a 
most  useful  and  courageous  citizen  and 
the  bar  one  of  its  most  distinguished  and 
honored  members. 

At  a  memorial  meeting  of  the  Alle- 
gheny County  Bar  Association,  held  No- 
PEN— voivi— 22  21 


vember  18,  1909,  among  the  many  tributes 
offered  to  the  life  and  work  of  Mr.  Bake- 
well  were  the  following: 

Thomas  Patterson  said :  "At  all  times 
a  gentleman,  at  all  times  a  powerful  and 
fair  antagonist,  a  man  of  learning  and 
integrity,  he  wore  the  white  flower  of  the 
blameless  life." 

It  was  finely  said  by  James  I.  Kay: 
"He  made  his  mark  in  his  profession 
throughout  the  country  and  stood  well 
to  the  front  with  his  illustrious  father  and 
the  other  great  men  at  this  bar  who  have 
gone  before." 

Clarence  P.  Byrnes,  for  many  years 
Mr.  Bakewell's  partner  said :  "What- 
ever small  value  I  may  be  to  the  patent 
profession  I  shall  always  attribute  not 
only  to  my  training  under  his  remarkable 
ability,  but  even  more  to  his  sterling 
character  and  its  moulding  effect  on  me 
during  these  eighteen  years.  Aside  from 
our  constant  business  intimacy  we  were 
the  closest  friends,  and  no  shadow  of 
misunderstanding  ever  darkened  this  in- 
timacy. I  shall  never  have  another  such 
friend." 

Marshall  A.  Christy  said:  "Mr.  Bake- 
well  was  the  embodiment  to  a  remark- 
able degree  of  the  combination  of  genius. 
I  might  say  brilliancy  of  mind,  and  great 
capacity  for  hard  work." 

By  Paul  Bakewell,  of  St.  Louis,  cousin 
to  Mr.  Bakewell,  it  was  said :  "He  lived 
a  good  life,  he  died  a  good  death ;  a  hard- 
working, distinguished  member  of  his 
profession,  he  literally  died  in  the  har- 
ness." 

Following  are  the  words  of  Judge  Buff- 
ington :  "He  was  a  man  who  measured 
up  to  the  highest  standard  of  the  advo- 
cate, in  that,  while  he  was  tremendously 
earnest  in  the  success  of  his  cause,  he 
recognized  that  his  highest  duty  as 
counsel  was  to  assist  the  court  in  reach- 
ing the  right.  He  united  with  the  zeal 
of  the  advocate  an  ever-present  judicial 
■I 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


capacity  to  see  his  adveisary's  cause  as 
well,  and  his  genius,  as  the  genius  of 
every  great  lawyer,  consisted  in  intuitive- 
ly discovering  the  pivot  on  which  his 
case  turned.  And  because  he  rang  true 
mentally  he  made  for  that  point,  and 
because  he  rang  true  morally  he  faced 
that  point,  and  on  this  pivot  he  swung 
his  whole  case  and  frankly  said:  'If  I 
am  right  on  this  point,  the  cause  is  mine ; 
and  if  I  am  wrong,  my  adversary  should 
have  the  decree'.  It  was  this  moral  and 
mental  clearness  that  made  him  the  great 
patent  lawyer  he  was,  and  in  my  judg- 
ment, take  him  all  in  all,  I  have  known 
none  abler." 


VVOELFEL,  Rev.  Louis  M.  J., 

Prominent   Clergyman. 

The  power  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
church  rests  not  alone  nor  even  chiefly 
upon  the  outward  and  material  evidences 
of  her  all  but  universal  dominion.  It  is 
to  be  found,  rather,  in  the  character  of 
her  priesthood,  and  more  especially  in 
those  who  are  of  the  type  of  the  Rev. 
Louis  M.  J.  Woelfel,  now  for  many  years 
pastor  of  St.  Martin's  Church,  West  End, 
Pittsburgh,  and  respected,  loved  and 
valued  both  as  an  ecclesiastic  and  a  citi- 
zen. 

The  name  Woelfel  means  "Little 
Wolf,"  and  was  originally  spelled  Wolfl, 
having  the  two  dots  over  the  o.  The 
arms  of  the  family  are  as  follows :  Arms 
— Quarterly.  First,  argent,  a  wolf  pas- 
sant, proper.  Second  and  third,  gules,  a 
mailed  arm  and  hand  holding  a  dagger, 
or.  Fourth,  azure,  a  castle  argent.  In 
chief  three  mullets,  or.  Crest:  .A  demi 
wolf  rampant,  sable. 

John  Woelfel,  grandfather  of  Louis  M. 
J.  Woelfel,  was  of  the  Kingdom  of  Ba- 
varia, Germany,  and  married  Anna  Kes- 
tel.  Their  children  were  :  Martin,  John, 
Margaret,  Anna  ;  Conrad,  mentioned  be- 


low ;  George,  Margaret  (2),  Barbara,  and 
Joachim..    All  these  are  now  deceased. 

(II)  Conrad,  son  of  John  and  Anna 
(Kestel)  Woelfel,  was  born  February  22, 
1828,  at  Grossen  Buchen,  Bavaria,  re- 
ceived his  education  in  nis  native  land 
and  learned  the  trade  of  tailoring.  In 
1852  he  emigrated  to  the  United  States 
and  made  his  home  in  New  York,  where 
he  followed  his  trade  during  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life.  He  married  Cather- 
ine Hammel,  whose  ancestral  record  is 
appended  to  this  biography,  and  they  be- 
came the  parents  of  two  sons — Louis  M. 
J.,  mentioned  below ;  and  Martin,  of  New 
York.  Conrad  Woelfel  died  in  that  city, 
February  11,  1869,  and  his  widow  sur- 
vived him  a  quarter  of  a  century,  pass- 
ing away  May  13,  1894,  in  Allegheny, 
Pennsylvania. 

(III)  Louis  M.  J.,  son  of  Conrad  and 
Catherine  (Hammel)  Woelfel,  was  born 
February  i,  1856,  in  New  York,  on  the 
site  of  the  present  Pennsylvania  railroad 
station,  and  received  his  early  education 
in  Brooklyn  parochial  schools  and  with 
the  Christian  Brothers  of  Second  street. 
He  then  went  to  St.  Vincent's  College, 
Westmoreland  county,  Pennsylvania, 
and  thence  to  St.  Francis'  College,  Mil- 
waukee, after  which  he  returned  to  St. 
Vincent's  where,  on  May  11,  1881,  he  was 
ordained  to  the  priesthood.  The  first 
appointment  of  Father  Woelfel  was  that 
of  assistant  priest  at  St.  John's  Church, 
Fourteenth  street,  Pittsburgh,  and  al- 
most at  the  beginning  of  his  ministry  the 
city  was  visited  by  an  epidemic  of  small- 
pox. It  raged  with  special  virulence  on 
the  South  Side  and  many  of  his  parish- 
ioners were  among  those  stricken.  Sub- 
jected at  the  outset  of  his  career  to  this 
severe  ordeal,  the  young  priest  proved 
his  fitness  for  his  office,  fearlessly  minis- 
tering to  the  victims  of  the  dread  dis- 
ease and  visiting,  on  an  average,  no  fewer 
than  twelve  patients  a  day. 

172 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


On  January  14,  1882,  Father  Woelfel 
was  appointed  pastor  of  Verona,  Penn- 
sylvania, where  he  organized  a  parochial 
school  in  which  he  himself  served  as  an 
instructor.  The  parish  was  in  flourish- 
ing condition,  when,  in  September,  1882, 
he  was  appointed  pastor  of  Holy  Trinity 
Church,  Huntingdon,  Pennsylvania.  This 
was  then  the  oldest  church  in  the  Pitts- 
burgh diocese,  having  been  built  in  1828, 
and  the  parish  embraced  a  territory  of 
forty  square  miles.  During  his  stay 
there.  Father  Woelfel  caused  the  old 
church  to  be  enlarged  and  greatly  beau- 
tified, and  his  pastorate  of  six  years  and 
a  half  was  in  all  respects  fruitful  of  good 
results.  On  March  17,  1889,  he  was  ap- 
pointed pastor  of  St.  Leo's  Church,  Alle- 
gheny City,  now  North  Side,  Pittsburgh. 
Of  this  church  he  was  the  first  pastor 
and  his  record  is  one  of  earnest  and 
energetic  accomplishment.  He  erected 
all  necessary  buildings — schools,  church, 
convent  and  the  parochial  residence,  and 
purchased  the  property  on  which  the  new 
church  was  built.  In  January,  1895,  he 
left  the  parish  which  he  might  almost 
be  said  to  have  created,  and  devoted  him- 
self to  missions  until  November  17,  1897, 
when  he  was  appointed  pastor  of  St. 
Martin's  Church,  West  End,  Pittsburgh. 

In  entering  this  new  field  in  which  he 
has  ever  since  continuously  labored, 
Father  Woelfel  brought  to  the  work  a 
wealth  of  experience  and  an  enlightened 
enthusiasm  which  were  the  surest 
promise  of  abundant  results.  This 
promise  has  been  fulfilled  beyond  the 
expectations  of  the  most  sanguine. 
Where  were  five  schools  there  are  now 
ten,  a  new  church  is  in  the  process  of 
erection  and  a  new  parochial  residence 
is  already  completed.  In  these  build- 
ings, which  are  unique  in  many  of  their 
arrangements.  Father  W^oelfel  has  in- 
corporated many  original  ideas.  Best  of 
all,    the    congregation    has     greatly    in- 


creased in  numbers  and  the  pastor  is 
securely  intrenched  in  the  veneration  and 
love  of  his  people.  Not  only  is  he  a 
fine  pulpit  orator,  but  his  discourses  seem 
to  possess  power  to  touch  the  hearts  and 
influence  the  lives  of  his  hearers,  to  help 
them  to  be  good  Christians  and  good 
citizens.  But,  perhaps,  his  personal, 
heart-to-heart  influence  is  more  potent 
than  even  his  sermons.  He  lives  close  to 
his  people.  In  all  their  aflFairs  he  is  their 
trusted  counsellor.  By  the  children  he  is 
specially  beloved,  joining  in  their  games 
and  winning  their  fullest  confidence. 

A  scholar  and  a  man  of  wide  erudition. 
Father  Woelfel  is  the  owner  of  a  library 
of  over  six  thousand  volumes,  including 
many  rare  editions.  Nevertheless,  much 
as  he  loves  the  companionship  of  his 
books,  they  never  win  him  from  the  work 
to  which  he  has  consecrated  himself. 
Better  even  than  the  seclusion  of  his 
library  and  communion  through  the 
written  word  with  the  great  souls  of  all 
ages  he  loves  his  chosen  ministry  to  the 
sick,  the  sorrowing  and  the  sinful.  With 
extraordinary  force  of  character  and 
great  tenacity  of  purpose  he  combines  the 
gentler  qualities  of  a  singularly  lovable 
personality.  Broad  human  sympathies 
give  him  rare  insight  into  character,  en- 
abling him  to  understand  widely  different 
natures  and  to  deal  with  each  according 
to  its  need.  The  lines  of  his  strong,  re- 
fined face  and  the  keen,  clear  light  in 
his  eye  indicate  the  aggressiveness  which 
has  always  been  so  strikingly  manifested 
in  his  methods  of  work  and  at  the  same 
time  the  large  benevolence  reflected  from 
his  countenance  and  speaking  in  his 
whole  aspect  and  manner  draws  to  him 
"all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men." 

The  years  Father  Woelfel  has  spent 
in  the  metropolis  have  been  fraught  with 
great  public  benefit.  Pittsburgh  owes 
him  much  and  the  church  need  not  fear 
for  her  future  while  she  numbers  among- 


2173 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


her  priests  men  like  the  noble  pastor  of 
St.  Martin's. 

(The   Hammel   Line). 

Hammel,    the    first    ancestor     of 

record,  was  born  in  Switzerland,  whence 
he  migrated  to  Schweigen,  in  the  Pala- 
tinate of  Rhine-Bavaria,  which  is  on  the 
French-German  border,  and  there  made 
a  home  for  himself  and  his  descendants. 

(II)  Louis,  son  of  Hammel,  was 

mayor  of  Schweigen  at  the  time  of  the 
French  revolution,  and  as  a  member  of 
the  Roman  Catholic  church  suffered 
much  persecution,  at  one  time  saving  his 
life  by  concealing  himself  in  a  bale  of 
hay.     He  married. 

(III)  Louis  (2),  son  of  Louis  (i) 
Hammel,  was  of  Schweigen,  and  mar- 
ried. His  children  were:  Catherine, 
mentioned  below ;  Louis,  Lena,  Fred- 
erick, Margaret,  Matthew,  Michael,  and 
Sophia.  All  these  are  deceased  with  the 
exception  of  Margaret  and  Sophia,  who 
are  living  in  Germany.  Louis  died  in 
the  United  States. 

(IV)  Catherine,  daughter  of  Louis  (2) 
Hammel,  was  born  December  11,  1828, 
at  Schweigen,  and  emigrated  to  the 
United  States,  but  at  what  period  is  not 
stated.  She  became  the  wife  of  Conrad 
Woelfel,  as  stated  above. 


TODD,  Frank  L.,  M.  D., 

Practitioner,  Hospital  Official. 

A  physician  who  has  written  his  name 
deeply  in  the  medical  annals  not  of  Pitts- 
burgh only  but  also  in  those  of  Western 
Pennsylvania  is  Dr.  Frank  Lester  Todd, 
who  has  now  for  many  years  been  num- 
bered among  the  leading  practitioners  of 
the  Iron  City.  Dr.  Todd  is  prominent  in 
Masonic  circles,  and  is  also  intimately  as- 
sociated with  the  social  and  religious  life 
of  the  metropolis  which  has  for  so  many 
years  been  his  home  and  the  scene  of  his 


exceptionally       successful       professional 
career. 

William  Todd,  founder  of  the  Amer- 
ican branch  of  the  family,  came  about 
1754  from  the  neighborhood  of  Belfast, 
Ireland,  to  New  London,  Connecticut. 
Thence  he  migrated  to  Plainfield,  New 
Jersey,  later  removing  to  Lancaster 
county,  Pennsylvania,  whence  his  de- 
scendants scattered  to  Kentucky  and 
Delaware  and  also  to  other  parts  of  Penn- 
sylvania. 

William  (2)  Todd,  grandfather  of 
Frank  Lester  Todd,  migrated  from  Lan- 
caster county  to  Westmoreland  county 
and  thence  to  Washington  county,  where 
he  was  one  of  the  pioneers.  He  mar- 
ried Margaret  Rannick,  and  they  seem 
to  have  passed  the  remainder  of  their 
lives  in  the  county  which  they  helped  to 
settle. 

James  Todd,  son  of  William  (2)  and 
Margaret  (Rannick)  Todd,  was  born 
February  14,  1809,  in  Washington 
county,  near  Claysville,  and  removed  to 
Virginia,  where  he  engaged  in  farming. 
He  married  Mary,  daughter  of  Thomas 
and  Margaret  (Hamilton)  Byers,  and 
among  their  children  was  Frank  Lester, 
mentioned  below.  Mr.  Todd  died  De- 
cember 14,  1893,  ^^'^  *he  death  of  his 
wife  occurred  April  8,  1908. 

Frank  Lester  Todd,  son  of  James  and 
Mary  (Byers)  Todd,  was  born  May  10, 
1861,  in  Ohio  county,  Virginia,  now  West 
Virginia,  and  received  his  education  at 
the  West  Alexander  Academy — that  is 
to  say,  his  preparatory  education,  for  he 
afterward  entered  Washington  and  Jeff- 
erson College,  graduating  in  1885  with 
the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  In  1893 
his  alma  mater  conferred  upon  him  the 
degree  of  Master  of  Arts.  Dr.  Todd  be- 
gan his  preparation  for  his  future  career 
on  the  Pacific  coast,  beginning  at  Cooper 
Medical  College,  San  Francisco,  but  it 
was  not  long  before  he  turned  his  steps 


2174 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


eastward,  this  time  taking  up  his  abode 
in  the  city  with  which  he  has  ever  since 
been  identified.  He  matriculated  in  the 
Western  University  of  Pennsylvania 
(now  the  University  of  Pittsburgh),  and 
in  1891  graduated  with  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Medicine. 

After  spending  two  years  as  resident 
physician  at  the  West  Pennsylvania  Hos- 
pital, Dr.  Todd  entered  upon  a  career  of 
general  practice,  from  the  outset  winning 
favorable  opinions  from  the  public  and 
the  profession.  In  1897  he  did  post- 
graduate work  at  the  University  of  Ber- 
lin, and  since  his  return  to  Pittsburgh 
has  been  continuously  engaged  in  general 
medical  and  surgical  practice,  acquiring 
a  large  and  constantly  increasing  clien- 
tele and  a  most  enviable  reputation  for 
learning,  skill  and  honorable  dealing. 

In  1895  DJ"-  Todd  helped  to  found  the 
Presbyterian  Hospital  of  Pittsburgh,  and 
was  its  surgeon  from  the  beginning  until 
1914,  when  he  resigned  in  consequence 
of  pressure  of  professional  duties.  Since 
1909  he  has  been  a  member  of  the  con- 
sulting staflf  of  the  Allegheny  General 
Hospital.  Despite  his  incessant  activi- 
ties he  finds  time  to  write  articles  which 
are  valuable  contributions  to  the  litera- 
ture of  his  profession  and  which  are  pub- 
lished in  various  medical  journals.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  American  Medical  As- 
sociation, the  Pennsylvania  State  Medical 
Association,  the  Allegheny  County  Med- 
ical Society  and  the  Pittsburgh  Academy 
of  Medicine  and  a  fellow  of  the  Amer- 
ican College  of  Surgeons. 

To  all  measures  which,  in  his  judg- 
ment, tend  to  promote  the  welfare  of 
Pittsburgh  Dr.  Todd  renders  hearty  sup- 
port and  cooperation.  In  politics  he  is  a 
Republican,  but  takes  no  active  part  in 
the  affairs  of  the  organization,  preferring 
to  concentrate  his  energies  on  the  dis- 
charge of  his  professional  obligations. 
He  is  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason,  affili- 


ating with  McKinley  Lodge,  No.  318,  and 
is  past  high  priest  of  Mizpah  Royal  Arch 
Chapter,  and  past  eminent  comjnander  of 
Allegheny  Commandery,  No.  35.  He  is 
a  Scottish  Rite  Alason,  and  a  member  of 
Syria  Temple,  Ancient  Arabic  Order 
Nobles  of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  also  belong- 
ing to  the  Phi  Gamma  Delta  and  Nu 
Sigma  Nu  fraternities.  He  was  formerly 
connected  with  the  University  and  Press 
clubs.  For  a  number  of  years  he  has 
held  the  office  of  elder  in  the  First  Pres- 
byterian Church. 

Distinctively  a  well-read  man.  Dr. 
Todd  is  especially  so  on  subjects  con- 
nected with  his  profession,  always  keep- 
ing abreast  of  the  latest  thought.  His 
scholarly  tastes  render  him  active  in  all 
that  makes  for  the  advancement  of  cul- 
ture and  science,  notably  medical  science, 
and  his  benevolence  inspires  the  numer- 
ous acts  of  charity  which  he  always  en- 
deavors to  shield  from  the  public  gaze. 
His  countenance,  and  especially  the 
searching  and  yet  reflective  expression  of 
his  eyes,  give  evidence  of  the  thinker  and 
the  executant,  the  student  and  the  man 
of  action.  Dignified  and  courteous  in 
demeanor,  he  is  genial  and  companion- 
able in  disposition,  and  numbers  his 
friends  by  the  legion  both  in  and  out  of 
his  profession. 

Dr.  Todd  married,  July  9,  1895,  Ida, 
only  daughter  of  the  late  Henry  and 
Christiana  (Manns)  Kleber,  of  Pitts- 
burgh, both  belonging  to  old  families  of 
that  city.  Mr.  Kleber,  who  died  Febru- 
ary 18,  1897,  was  a  pioneer  music  dealer 
and  very  prominent  in  his  line  of  busi- 
ness. Mrs.  Kleber  was  a  pianist  of  rare 
artistic  ability.  Her  father  was  a  school- 
master and  also  preached  in  the  old  Ger- 
man church  then  standing  on  Sixth  ave- 
nue and  Smithfield  street,  Pittsburgh, 
and  her  brother.  Professor  Jean  Manns, 
who  died  July  10,  1899,  was  a  piano 
teacher  of   national   reputation   and   the 

175 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


author  of  many  musical  articles  and 
treatises. 

In  his  domestic  relations  Dr.  Todd  is 
peculiarly  fortunate,  finding  in  his  wife 
both  an  intellectual  comrade  and  an 
ideal  home-maker.  In  dispensing  the 
gracious  hospitality  for  which  they  are 
noted  they  are  invested  with  a  rare 
charm  which  no  one  privileged  to  be 
their  guest  ever  fails  to  appreciate. 

Some  men  there  are  who  leave  upon 
their  time  the  impress  not  of  their  work 
alone,  but  also  of  their  personality.  Of 
these  Dr.  Frank  Lester  Todd  is  one. 
Pittsburgh  and  all  Western  Pennsylvania 
acknowledge  him  as  one  of  their  fore- 
most representatives  of  the  medical  pro- 
fession, but  no  less  do  they  feel  and 
confess  his  influence  as  a  man  of  aggres- 
sive temperament  in  all  that  makes  for 
the  public  weal,  and  they  claim  him  with 
just  pride  in  his  strong  dual  personality 
— a  true  citizen,  but  first,  last  and  always 
a  physician. 


LATSHAW,  WUliam  H., 

Corporation  Official,  Financier. 

William  H.  Latshaw,  one  of  the  cap- 
tains of  industry  of  Pittsburgh,  Penn- 
sylvania, was  a  man  whose  life  serves 
as  an  example  in  the  financial  and  indus- 
trial worlds,  as  well  as  in  private  life. 
He  not  alone  gained  commendation  as  r 
business  man,  but  he  earned  the  unquali- 
fied respect  of  opponent  and  friend.  His 
keen  intellect  was  ever  on  the  alert  to 
grasp  opportunities,  but  advantage  was 
never  taken  of  the  misfortunes  of 
others. 

William  Hart  Latshaw  was  born  in 
Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania,  September  3, 
1855,  son  of  Peter  William.  Henry  and 
Elizabeth  Cook  (Aughinbaugh)  Lat- 
shaw. The  father  of  William  H.  Latshaw 
was  associated  as  a  partner  with  the  late 
Joshua  Rhodes  in  the  grain  business,  and 

21 


they  were  also  the  owners  and  operators 
of  the  Eagle  Cotton  Mills  on  Sandusky 
street,  Allegheny  City  (now  North  Side, 
Pittsburgh).  When  William  H.  Lat- 
shaw was  three  years  of  age  his  parents 
removed  to  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  but  re- 
turned to  Pittsburgh  when  he  had  at- 
tained the  age  of  seven  years.  For  seven 
years  he  was  a  pupil  in  the  old  First 
Ward  school,  and  then  entered  upon  his 
business  career,  which  was  one  filled 
with  honor.  Mr.  Latshaw's  first  position 
was  with  the  Pittsburgh  &  Cleveland 
Railroad  Company,  and  when  he  left  this 
he  found  employment  with  the  Alle- 
gheny National  Bank,  in  whose  service 
he  remained  for  a  period  of  seven  years. 
He  then  became  associated  with  Joshua 
Rhodes,  in  1876,  in  the  Pennsylvania 
Tube  Company,  the  responsible  position 
of  secretary  and  treasurer  being  assigned 
him.  When  this  company  became  merged 
in  the  National  Tube  Company  in  1899, 
Mr.  Latshaw  was  elected  to  the  office  of 
assistant  treasurer,  with  offices  in  Pitts 
burgh.  Not  long  afterward  he  was 
elected  to  the  office  of  third  vice-president 
and  manager  of  the  sales  department,  the 
duties  of  which  offices  were  discharged 
with  such  exceptional  executive  abili' 
and  success,  that  he  was  honored  by 
election  to  the  second  vice-presidenc^ 
and  was  given  charge  of  local  financial 
matters,  while  he  was  still  continued  in 
charge  of  the  sales  department.  Latr 
he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  first  vice- 
president,  but  the  accumulated  duties  of 
these  various  offices  had  an  ill  effect  upon 
the  health  of  Mr.  Latshaw,  and  he  re- 
tired from  the  active  management  of 
affairs  in  1903,  although  his  counsel  was 
frequently  sought  as  director  of  various 
concerns.  He  was  director  in  the  Colo- 
nial Trust  Company,  the  Germania  Bank, 
the  Allegheny  National  Bank,  and  the 
Standard   Engineering  Company. 

As  a  citizen  with  exalted  ideas  of  good 
76 


,  jy^.-^r.-./j^^i 


VTr^:?^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


government  and  civic  virtue,  Mr.  Lat- 
shaw  stood  in  the  front  rank,  and  where- 
ever  substantial  aid  would  further  public 
progress,  it  was  freely  given.  He  was 
a  Republican  in  politics,  and  as  a  vigilant 
and  attentive  observer  of  men  and  meas- 
ures, holding  sound  opinions  and  taking 
liberal  views,  his  ideas  carried  weight 
among  those  with  whom  he  discussed 
public  problems.  His  rapidity  of  judg- 
ment enabled  him,  in  the  midst  of  inces- 
sant business  activity,  to  give  to  the 
affairs  of  the  community  eflfort  and 
counsel  of  genuine  value,  and  his  pene- 
trating thought  often  added  wisdom  to 
public  movements.  Ever  ready  to  re- 
spond to  any  deserving  call  made  upon 
him,  the  full  number  of  his  benefactions 
will,  in  all  probability,  never  be  known, 
for  his  charity  was  of  the  kind  that  shuns 
publicity.  Of  genial  personality,  Mr. 
Latshaw  was  numbered  among  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Duquesne,  Pittsburgh  and 
Pittsburgh  Country  clubs.  He  also 
affiliated  with  the  Masonic  fraternity. 

The  singularly  strong  personality  of 
Mr.  Latshaw  always  exerted  a  powerful 
influence  on  all  who  were  brought  into 
contact  with  him,  while  a  kindly  nature, 
which  recognized  and  appreciated  the 
good  in  others,  surrounded  him  with  a 
large  circle  of  warmly  attached  and 
loyal  friends.  His  countenance  reflected 
his  character  and  disposition,  and  it 
might  be  said  of  him — more  truly,  per- 
haps, than  of  many — that  he  looked  the 
man  he  was. 

Mr.  Latshaw  married,  December  14, 
1880,  Miss  Annie  Wilson,  daughter  of 
Anthony  and  Frances  (Wilson)  Filman, 
of  Pittsburgh,  and  they  became  the 
parents  of:  i.  Henry  Hart,  married 
Sarah  Verner  Lloyd,  of  Pittsburgh,  and 
they  have  a  son,  John  Lloyd  Latshaw, 
born  December  15,  1906.  2.  William,  of 
Pittsburgh.  3.  Frances,  who  became  the 
wife  of  Claude  F.  Pugh,  of  Pittsburgh; 


they  have  one  daughter,  Anne   Virginia 
Pugh. 

The  death  of  William  H.  Latshaw, 
which  occurred  in  Pittsburgh,  August 
29,  191 1,  deprived  Pittsburgh  of  one  of 
her  most  valued  citizens.  Using  his 
talents  and  his  opportunities  to  the  ut- 
most in  every  work  which  he  under- 
took, he  fulfilled  to  the  letter  every  trust 
committed  to  him,  and  was  generous  in 
his  feelings  and  conduct  toward  all.  He 
made  for  himself  a  record  of  noteworthy 
achievement  and  public-spirited  service, 
and  his  name  is  inscribed  with  honor  in 
the  annals  of  his  city  and  his  State. 


WILKINSON,  James  M., 

Man  of  Enterprise. 

Conspicuous  among  the  men  who  were 
pioneers  in  developing  the  real  estate  in- 
terests of  the  East  End  was  the  late 
James  M.  Wilkinson,  a  life-long  resident 
of  his  native  city  of  Pittsburgh,  and  a 
leader  in  all  that  tended  to  further  her 
advancement.  Especially  was  he  active 
along  lines  of  education,  taking  a  par- 
ticular interest  in  all  that  made  for  intel- 
lectual progress  and  culture. 

James  M.  Wilkinson  was  born  January 
18,  1850,  in  Pittsburgh,  and  was  a  son  of 
Matthew  and  Sarah  (Bond)  Wilkinson. 
The  former  inherited  from  his  parents 
ample  means  and  spent  his  time  in  look- 
ing after  his  invested  interests  and  in 
travel.  James  M.  Wilkinson  was  educated 
in  the  schools  of  his  native  city,  and  on 
completing  his  course  of  study  was  em- 
ployed for  a  number  of  years  for  J.  R. 
Weldin,  stationer,  on  Wood  street.  In 
the  discharge  of  his  duties  as  clerk  Mr. 
Wilkinson  became  thoroughly  familiar 
with  every  detail  of  the  business,  and 
eventually  established  himself  independ- 
ently as  a  stationer,  opening  a  store  on 
the  corner  of  Fifth  avenue  and  Wood 
street.     His  stock  was  of  the  finest  de- 


2177 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


scription  and  his  love  for  books  made 
the  business  peculiarly  congenial  to  him. 

In  1879  Mr.  Wilkinson  disposed  of  his 
store  and  entered  the  real  estate  business, 
being  one  of  the  first  to  seek  to  develop 
its  possibilities  at  the  East  End.  He  was 
eminently  successful,  building  up  a  large 
business,  his  administrative  ability  en- 
abling him  to  negotiate  extensive  trans- 
actions in  a  manner  satisfactory  to  all 
concerned.  He  w^as  regarded  as  one  of 
the  best  appraisers  of  property  values 
in  Pittsburgh. 

In  all  that  concerned  the  w^elfare  of 
Pittsburgh  Mr.  Wilkinson  took  a  sincere 
and  active  interest.  A  Republican  in 
politics,  he  neither  sought  nor  desired 
office,  but  labored  earnestly  for  the  suc- 
cess of  all  measures  which  he  deemed 
calculated  to  further  the  cause  of  good 
government.  Progressive  in  all  things, 
he  was  especially  so  in  his  ideas  in  re- 
gard to  methods  of  education,  his  in- 
fluence and  work  along  this  line  being 
extremely  valuable.  His  charities  were 
numerous  but  unostentatious  and  he  was 
a  member  of  Trinity  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church. 

The  personality  of  Mr.  Wilkinson  was 
singularly  attractive,  his  mental  attain- 
ments, which  were  of  a  superior  order, 
being  combined  with  an  unflagging 
cheerfulness.  His  every  action  was  in- 
spired by  a  sense  of  justice  and  he  was 
ever  prepared  to  meet  obligations,  what- 
ever their  character,  with  the  confidence 
and  courage  born  of  conscious  ability  and 
rectitude.  His  personal  appearance  was 
striking.  Of  tall  stature,  with  dark 
brown  hair  and  moustache  and  patrician 
features,  his  hazel  eyes  were  at  once 
those  of  the  thinker  and  the  observer. 
His  mind  was  both  original  and  vivacious 
and  he  possessed  a  personal  magnetism 
which  drew  men  to  him.  Few  men  have 
been   more   generally   beloved.     He   was 


certainly  one  of  those  whose  mission  it 
is  to  add  to  the  sunshine  of  the  world. 

Mr.  Wilkinson  married,  February  25, 
1879,  Virginia,  daughter  of  the  late  Wil- 
liam Kennedy  and  Margaret  Latimer 
(McCook)  Hart,  and  they  became  the 
parents  of  one  daughter:  Elizabeth 
Hays  Wilkinson,  who,  in  addition  to  in- 
heriting the  literary  tastes  of  her  father, 
possesses  marked  ability  as  a  writer  and 
is  well  known  as  the  author  of  several 
books  for  children,  also  a  number  of 
plays,  poems  and  sketches.  The  chil- 
dren's books  published  by  Miss  Wilkin- 
son fill  a  place  of  their  own  in  the  realm 
of  nursery  lore.  In  his  domestic  rela- 
tions Mr.  Wilkinson  was  peculiarly 
happy,  finding  in  his  wife,  a  woman  of 
charming  personality,  a  true  and  sym- 
pathizing helpmate  and  passing  his  hours 
of  greatest  enjoyment  at  his  own  fireside. 

In  the  prime  of  life  and  in  the  full 
maturity  of  all  his  powers  this  gifted  and 
lovable  man  closed  his  career  of  useful- 
ness and  beneficence,  passing  away  Janu- 
ary 5,  1900.  His  death  deprived  Pitts- 
burgh of  an  able,  aggressive  business 
man  and  a  far-sighted,  disinterested 
citizen,  and  left  a  vacancy  never  to  be 
filled  in  the  hearts  of  his  many  friends. 

Citizens  like  Mr.  Wilkinson  bring  two- 
fold benefit  to  their  communities,  pro- 
moting both  their  material  prosperity 
and  their  mental  and  moral  development. 
Thus  it  is  that  great  cities  are  built  up. 
Would  that  Pittsburgh  had  more  men 
like  James  M.  Wilkinson. 


DARLINGTON,  William  M., 

Accomplislied  liatpyer,  Liitteratenr. 

The  bar  of  Pittsburgh  is  of  colonial, 
has  never  been  diminished  or  obscured. 
Foremost  among  those  who,  during  the 
revolutionary  and  national  record,  and 
the  distinction  which  it  early  acquired 
178 


I''^-^J'^^.Jf^/i^ir'',s  ^^jvy/y 


TA/>sfffr>g^/j^uA.  ^-^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


middle  decades  of  the  nineteenth  century, 
maintained  the  prestige  of  the  past  and 
shed  new  lustre  on  Pittsburgh's  legal 
annals,  was  the  late  William  McCullough 
Darlington,  for  nearly  fifty  years  a  recog- 
nized leader  of  the  Pennsylvania  bar  and 
an  honored  citizen  of  the  metropolis  of 
the  State. 

Job  Darlington  and  his  wife,  Mary, 
were  residents  of  Darnhall,  Cheshire, 
England. 

(II)  Abraham  Darlington,  son  of  Job 
and  Mary  Darlington,  emigrated  to  Ches- 
ter county,  Pennsylvania,  in  171 1  ;  mar- 
ried, 1716,  Elizabeth  Hillborn. 

(III)  Thomas  Darlington,  son  of 
Abraham  and  Elizabeth  (Hillborn)  Darl- 
ington, married,  in  1754,  Hannah  Brin- 
ton. 

(IV)  Amos  Darlington,  son  of  Thomas 
Darlington  and  Hannah  (Brinton)  Darl- 
ington, married  Elizabeth  Powel,  in  1789. 

(V)  Benjamin  Darlington,  son  of 
Amos  and  Elizabeth  (Powel)  Darlington, 
was  born  in  West  Chester,  Pennsylvania, 
in  1812.  He  went  to  live  in  Pittsburgh, 
where  he  married  Agnes  McCullough. 

(VI)  William  McCullough  Darling- 
ton, son  of  Benjamin  and  Agnes  (McCul- 
lough) Darlington,  was  born  May  1. 
181 5,  in  Pittsburgh,  Allegheny  county, 
Pennsylvania.  He  received  his  education 
in  the  private  schools  of  Pittsburgh  and 
at  Jefferson  College,  at  Cannonsburg, 
Pennsylvania.  Studying  for  the  legal 
profession  with  Richard  Biddle.  esquire, 
in  1837  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of 
Allegheny  county.  As  a  close  student 
and  one  skillful  in  the  application  of  his 
legal  knowledge,  he  soon  took  high  rank 
among  his  professional  brethren,  his 
well-earned  reputation  steadily  augment- 
ing with  the  passing  years. 

Possessing  that  judicial  instinct  which 
makes  its  way  quickly  through  imma- 
terial details  to  the  essential  points  upon 
the  determination  of  which  a  cause  must 


turn,  Mr.  Darlington's  arguments  were 
to  an  unusual  degree  logical,  forcible  and 
clear.  He  threw  himself  with  all  the  zeal 
of  his  nature  and  with  all  the  rich  stores 
of  his  great  learning,  into  the  cause  of 
his  client,  delighting  to  master  and  un- 
ravel the  most  difficult  legal  problems, 
and  possessing  an  eloquence  which  was 
persuasive  without  vehemence,  polished 
without  afifectation,  and  pleasing  without 
being  florid.  The  laws  relating  to  real 
estate  received  from  William  M.  Darl- 
ington a  special  amount  of  attention,  in 
consequence  of  which  he  acquired  an  ex- 
haustive knowledge  of  the  principles  in- 
volved in  titles  as  well  as  of  the  laws 
governing  their  alienation  and  descent. 
As  a  result  of  his  long  and  close  study  of 
this  branch  of  his  profession,  he  was  re- 
garded as  an  authority  on  property  and 
conveyance,  and  was  frequently  con- 
sulted by  other  leading  attorneys  and  by 
judges  on  the  bench. 

During  the  latter  years  of  his  life,  Mr. 
Darlington,  while  not  the  oldest  man 
then  practicing  in  Pittsburgh,  was  the 
oldest  living  member  of  the  Allegheny 
county  bar.  In  1888,  on  the  completion 
of  the  new  courthouse,  his  seniority  was 
recognized  by  the  presentation  to  him  of 
the  keys  of  the  Temple  of  Justice. 

As  a  true  citizen,  Mr.  Darlington  was 
interested  in  all  enterprises  which  medi- 
tated the  moral  improvement  and  social 
culture  of  the  community,  and  actively 
aided  a  number  of  associations  by  his 
influence  and  means.  In  politics  he  was 
a  Republican,  and,  while  he  never  ex- 
hibited any  political  aspirations,  and 
steadily  refused  to  accept  office,  was  fre- 
quently consulted  in  regard  to  questions 
of  moment,  being  known  as  a  vigilant  and 
attentive  observer  of  men  and  measures, 
whose  sound  opinions  and  liberal  views 
caused  his  ideas  to  carry  great  weight 
among  those  with  whom  he  discussed 
public  problems.  No  good  work  done  in 
179 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


the  name  of  charity  or  religion  sought 
his  cooperation  in  vain,  and  in  his  work 
of  chis  character  he  brought  to  bear  the 
Same  discrimination  and  thoroughness 
that  were  manifest  in  his  professional  life. 
He  was  a  devout  Christian  and  attended 
the  Presbyterian  church. 

Of  singularly  strong  personality,  no 
one  could  approach  Mr.  Darlington  with- 
out feeling  himself  in  the  presence  of  a 
man  of  marked  ability  and  the  loftiest 
moral  standards.  Simple  and  dignified 
in  manner,  he  had  withal  a  certain 
warmth  and  geniality  which  drew  m«n  to 
him,  inspiring  that  loyal  regard  which 
was  the  natural  response  to  the  friend- 
ship of  a  nature  like  his.  His  countenance, 
bearing  and  whole  aspect  were  those  of 
a  man  of  mark. 

One  of  the  chief  features  of  Mr.  Darl- 
ington's home,  and  one  most  expressive 
of  his  individual  tastes,  was  a  library  of 
about  fourteen  thousand  volumes,  pecu- 
liarly rich  in  the  literature  of  his  profes- 
sion, and  in  historical  works.  It  was,  in 
fact,  one  of  the  best  and  largest  private 
libraries  in  the  United  States.  Second 
only  to  his  love  of  the  law  was  his  love 
of  history.  He  was  vice-president  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Historical  Society,  and  a 
member  of  other  historical  associations. 
In  regard  to  anything  pertaining  to 
Western  Pennsylvania  and  the  Ohio 
Valley  his  information  was  full  and 
authentic,  and  he  was  frequently  con- 
sulted by  local  and  general  historians. 
He  was  himself  the  author  of  the  follow- 
ing works:  "Illustrative  Notes  to  Jour- 
nal of  Colonel  John  May,  Boston,  1788- 
89;"  "Christopher  Gist's  Journals,  with 
Notes  and  Biographies  ;"  and  "An  Appen- 
dix of  Illustrative  Notes  to  Colonel 
Smith's  Narrative  of  Captivity  with  the 
Indians,  I755-59-" 

Mr.  Darlington  married  Mary  Carson, 
daughter  of  Richard  Butler  and  Mary 
Boyd    (Fitzsimmons)    O'Hara,    of    Pitts- 


burgh. (See  O'Hara  line,  following). 
Children  of  William  McCulloagh  ai'd 
Mary  Carson  (O'Hara)  Darlington:  i. 
O'Hara.  2.  Hillborn,  who  died  in  i8''^2. 
3.  Mary  O'Hara.  4.  Edith,  who  became 
the  wife  of  Samuel  A.  Ammon,  esquir.^ 
of  Pittsburgh.  Mrs.  Darlington  was  in 
all  respects  an  ideal  helpmate  for  her 
gifted  husband.  She  was  a  woman  of 
literary  attainments  and  an  authoress  of 
note.  Her  death  occurred  June  18,  1915. 
Devotion  to  his  family  was  the  ruling 
motive  of  Mr.  Darlington's  life,  and  no 
place  was  ever  so  dear  to  him  as  his  own 
fireside. 

On  September  28,  1889,  William  Mc- 
Cullough  Darlington  closed  his  long, 
brilliant  and  honorable  career,  passing 
away  at  his  home,  "Guyasuta,"  Alle- 
gheny county,  and  depriving  the  bar  of 
that  county  and  of  his  native  State  of  one 
who  looked  upon  the  profession  of  the 
law  as  an  order  of  government,  and  be- 
lieved that,  whether  in  office  or  out  of  it, 
he  who  measured  up  to  his  full  height 
should  give  public  service.  He  stood  as 
an  exemplification  of  what  a  lawyer's  life 
and  attitude  should  be,  not  merely  to  the 
bar,  not  merely  to  his  clients,  but  to  his 
country  at  large  and  to  the  community  in 
which  he  lived.  In  private  life  he  was 
one  of  the  most  kindly  and  genial  of  men, 
delighting  in  hospitality,  and  when  the 
announcement  of  his  death  appeared 
many  were  the  tears  shed  for  the  faithful 
friend  and  the  incomparable  host,  the 
man  to  whose  conversation  it  was  ever 
counted  a  privilege  to  listen,  and  the 
charm  of  whose  voice  and  manner  yet 
lingers  in  the  memory  of  those  to  whom 
it  was  once  familiar. 

The  life  of  William  McCullough  Darl- 
ington was  one  of  singular  completeness 
and  well-rounded  symmetry,  irreproach- 
able and  beneficent  in  every  public  and 
private  relation.  The  productions  of  his 
pen  are  evidence  of  his  public  spirit  and 
180 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


literary  ability,  and  will  be  read  and 
valued  by  future  generations  of  Pennsyl- 
vanians.  As  a  lawyer  he  stands  pre- 
eminent in  the  legal  annals  of  his  day,  not 
only  by  reason  of  brilliant  talents,  but  as 
an  upholder  and  an  exemplar  of  the 
loftiest  principles  of  his  profession. 

(The  O'Hara  Line). 

The  first  known  of  this  family  was 
Teige  Oge  O'Hara  Buidhe,  1560,  one  of 
the  chiefs  of  the  Clan  O'Hara,  in  Ireland. 
The  coat-of-arms  of  the  O'Hara  family  is 
as  follows :  "A  demi  lion  rampant,  hold- 
ing in  the  dexter  paw  a  chaplet  of  laurel. 
Motto,  "Try." 

(II)  Cormac,  son  of  above. 

(III)  Charles,  son  of  above  Cormac 
O'Hara. 

(IV)  Dermond  O'Hara,  son  of  above 
Charles  O'Hara.  Son  of  Dermond 
O'Hara  was  Sir  Charles  O'Hara,  Lord 
Tyrawly ;  Sir  James  O'Hara,  son  of  Sir 
Charles,  who  became  Lord  Tyrawly,  born 
1690,  died  1774. 

(V)  Felix  O'Hara,  son  of  Dermond 
O'Hara,  was  an  officer  in  the  Irish 
Brigade  in  the  service  of  France. 

(VI)  John  O'Hara,  son  of  Felix 
O'Hara,  served  as  officer  in  the  Irish 
Brigade  in  service  of  France,  as  did  his 
father. 

(VII)  James  O'Hara,  son  of  John 
O'Hara,  was  quartermaster-general  in 
United  States  Army,  1792;  married  Mary 
Carson,  daughter  of  William  Carson,  of 
Philadelphia. 

(VIII)  Richard  Butler  O'Hara,  son  of 
General  James  and  Mary  (Carson) 
O'Hara,  married  Mary  Boyd  Fitzsim- 
mons,  and  their  daughter  was 

(IX)  Mary  Carson,  who  married  Wil- 
liam McCullough  Darlington,  of  Pitts- 
burgh, as  stated  above. 

Mrs.  Mary  Carson  (O'Hara)  Darling- 
ton was  born  at  "Guyasuta,"  Allegheny 
county,   Pennsylvania.     As   a   child    she 

2181 


spent  much  of  her  time  with  her  grand- 
mother, the  widow  of  General  James 
O'Hara,  who  lived  in  Pittsburgh,  where 
she  studied  under  governesses.  Later  in 
her  young  girlhood  she  was  at  school  at 
Braddock's  Fields,  Mrs.  Olver's  "Edge- 
worth  Seminary."  Latei  she  attended 
another  famous  boarding  school  for  girls, 
Mrs.  McLeod's  School,  on  Staten  Island, 
New  York.  Soon  after  returning  home 
from  school  she  married  William  M. 
Darlington.  Mrs.  Darlington  was  always 
a  student,  and  being  especially  interested 
in  history,  read  and  studied  with 
husband,  whose  library  and  historical 
writings  remain  as  a  mo.iument  to  both 
husband  and  wife.  Her  ability  to  read 
French,  Italian,  German  and  Spanish 
was  of  great  assistance  in  the  research 
work  necessary  in  exhaustive  studies  of 
the  history  of  this  country.  In  1892  Mrs. 
Darlington  published  the  book  "Fort 
Pitt  and  Letters  from  the  Frontier,'-  and 
since  that  time  wrote  many  articles  of 
historical  value.  In  1901  she  prepared  a 
list  of  names  of  the  officers  of  the  Colo- 
nial and  Revolutionary  armies  who  died 
in  Pittsburgh,  and  were  buried  in  the 
historic  graveyards  of  the  First  Presby- 
terian or  Trinity  churches,  Pittsburgh, 
and  wrote  a  sketch  of  the  life  of  each. 
This  paper  was  read  before  the  Pitts- 
burgh Chapter  of  the  Daughters  of  the 
American  Revolution,  of  which  Mrs.  Darl- 
ington was  an  honorary  member,  and  as 
a  result  of  interest  awakened,  a  bronze 
tablet  has  been  placed  on  the  stone  wall 
on  Oliver  avenue,  back  of  the  two 
churches,  which  bears  the  names  of  these 
officers  and  others  of  whom  Mrs.  Darling- 
ton also  wrote  sketches  for  the  use  of 
students  of  history.  For  several  years 
Mrs.  Darlington  was  an  attendant  at  the 
First  Presbyterian  Church  of  Pittsburgh, 
but  for  many  years  was  a  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church  of  Sharpsburg, 
where  she  taught  a  Bible  class,  when  she 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


first  returned  from  school,  and  in  later 
years  had  charge  of  the  Sunday  School 
infant  class.  She  had  travelled  quite  ex- 
tensively, twice  having  been  abroad  with 
her  family.  Her  greatest  happiness  was, 
however,  in  her  home  with  her  books,  her 
flowers  and  her  family,  but  never  did  she 
lose  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  world, 
of  her  own  country  and  locality,  or  her 
desire  fail  to  give  aid  where  needed.  Hers 
was  a  long,  beautiful  life. 


ARBUCKLE,  John, 

Man  of  liarge  Affairs,   Philantliropist. 

John  Arbuckle  was  born  in  Pittsburgh, 
Pennsylvania,  January  ii,  1839.  He  was 
the  second  son  of  Thomas  and  Margaret 
(McDonald)  Arbuckle,  both  of  whom 
were  born  in  Scotland.  He  was  educated 
in  the  schools  of  Allegheny  City  and  at 
Jefiferson  College. 

In  1865  Mr.  Arbuckle  became  associ- 
ated with  his  brother  Charles  in  the 
wholesale  grocery  business  under  the 
name  of  Arbuckles  &  Company,  which 
continues  to  this  time  as  one  of  the  lead- 
ing wholesale  houses  of  Pittsburgh.  He 
was  the  first  merchant  to  oflfer  the  public 
packaged  coffee  prepared  under  his  own 
formula,  and  for  which  the  government 
issued  to  him  letters  patent. 

In  1871  John  and  Charles  Arbuckle 
opened  a  New  York  house  in  the  name  of 
Arbuckle  Brothers,  which  soon  became 
one  of  the  most  widely  known  business 
houses  in  the  country.  At  the  beginning 
the  activities  of  the  firm  in  New  York 
were  confined  to  the  coffee  business, 
which  continued  to  grow  and  expand 
until  the  Arbuckle  brothers  became 
known  and  recognized  as  the  greatest 
coffee  merchants  in  the  world.  Charles 
Arbuckle  died  in  1891,  and  thereafter  the 
subject  of  this  sketch  was  the  directing 
force  in  the  firm's  affairs.  In  1898  he 
erected  and  commenced  the  operation  of 

2 


a  great  sugar  refinery  on  the  East  River, 
in  Brooklyn,  which,  like  his  other  busi- 
ness undertakings,  was  an  instant  suc- 
cess. 

Mr.  Arbuckle  was  actively  interested  in 
other  lines  of  business,  notably  in  bank- 
ing and  transportation ;  but,  notwith- 
standing his  great  business  interests,  Mr. 
Arbuckle  was  better  known  and  will  be 
best  remembered  for  his  splendid  benevo- 
lences. His  concern  was  chiefly  for  the 
poor  and  the  unfortunate ;  for  ambitious 
boys  and  girls  seeking  opportunities  to 
better  their  condition.  Into  the  lives  of 
thousands,  renewed  strength  and  new 
hopes  have  come  through  his  generous 
favor.  His  works  will  not  only  follow 
him,  but  will  constitute  his  most  endur- 
ing monument. 

In  December,  1859,  Mr.  Arbuckle  mar- 
ried Mary  A.  Kerr,  daughter  of  Dr.  Wil- 
liam Kerr,  a  former  mayor  of  Pittsburgh. 
They  had  no  children.  Mrs.  Arbuckle 
was  a  sympathetic  sharer  of  her  hus- 
band's ideas  and  ideals.  She  died  in 
1907,  and  was  followed  by  Mr.  Arbuckle 
on  March  27,  1912. 


BRENNAN,  John  P., 

Prominent  Architect. 

John  Patrick  Brennan,  City  Architect 
of  Pittsburgh,  is  a  man  whose  profes- 
sional record  is  inseparably  interwoven 
with-  the  structural  history  of  the  me- 
tropolis. Mr.  Brennan's  reputation  as  an 
architect  is  not  limited  to  the  Pitts- 
burgh district  but  extends  far  beyond  the 
boundaries  of  the  state  of  Pennsylvania. 

Dominick  Carroll  Brennan,  father  of 
John  Patrick  Brennan,  was  born  in  Ire- 
land, and  in  early  youth  emigrated  to  the 
United  States,  settling  in  Philadelphia, 
where  he  was  for  years  engaged  in  engi- 
neering work  and  in  real  estate.  Later  in 
life  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  coal 
business  and  was  a  member  of  the  firm  of 
182 


'  _-*J"j^*52£;-K-  ^S.-^  - 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Repplier  and  Brennan.  Their  place  of 
business  was  situated  where  the  Philadel- 
phia Union  League  Club  House  now 
stands.  Mr.  Brennan  was  a  Democrat 
and  a  Roman  Catholic.  He  married  Mar- 
garet Tumulty,  also  a  native  of  Ireland. 
The  death  of  Mr.  Brennan  occurred  in 
Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania  and  he  was 
buried  in  the  old  Roman  Catholic  Cathe- 
dral Cemetery  there,  April  17,  1891. 

John  Patrick,  son  of  Dominick  Carroll 
and  Margaret  (Tumulty)  Brennan,  was 
born  January  25,  185 1,  in  Philadelphia, 
and  received  his  education  in  the  paro- 
chial schools  of  his  native  city,  complet- 
ing his  course  of  study  at  La  Salle  Col- 
lege. He  then  began,  under  the  guidance 
of  E.  F.  Durang,  of  Philadelphia,  to  pre- 
pare himself  for  the  profession  of  an 
architect,  becoming,  at  the  end  of  three 
years,  the  pupil  of  Addison  Hutton,  also 
of  Philadelphia,  with  whom  he  studied  for 
another  three  years.  For  some  time  there- 
after Mr.  Brennan  was  associated  with 
his  father  as  railroad  civil  engineer  on  the 
railroad  then  in  process  of  construction 
between  Annapolis  and  Baltimore,  being 
afterward  engaged  in  railroad  work  in 
Western  Pennsylvania  and  neighboring 
states. 

In  1882  Mr.  Brennan  came  to  Pitts- 
burgh and  entered  upon  what  was  destin- 
ed to  be  the  great  work  of  his  life.  For 
eighteen  months  he  was  associated  with 
George  S.  Orth,  then  for  one  year  with 
Andrew  Peebles,  and  at  the  end  of  that 
time  went  into  business  for  himself,  later 
taking  as  a  partner  Charles  Bickel,  the 
firm  name  being  Bickel  and  Brennan. 
During  this  period  of  his  life  Mr.  Brennan 
designed  and  built  the  German  National 
Bank,  the  Consolidated  Ice  Building,  the 
Home  of  the  Little  Sisters  of  the  Poor, 
and  other  structures  of  importance.  In 
1891  the  partnership  was  dissolved  and 
Mr.  Brennan  carried  on  the  business  alone 


until  1898,  when  he  associated  himself 
with  the  engineering  department  of  the 
Carnegie  Steel  Company,  maintaining  his 
connection  with  this  famous  corporation 
until  1905.  In  that  year  he  was  appointed 
to  his  present  position  of  City  Architect 
of  Pittsburgh.  Within  the  last  ten  years 
he  has  designed  and  built  the  No.  3  En- 
gine House,  the  Power  plant  at  Marshal- 
sea,  the  Male  Asylum  at  Marshalsea,  and 
various  other  structures  for  the  city,  thus 
placing  upon  the  metropolis  the  stamp  of 
some  of  his  best  work. 

A  Republican  in  politics,  Mr.  Brennan 
is  an  active  member  of  the  Tariff  and 
Americus  clubs,  being  also  enrolled  in 
the  Press  Club.  He  belongs  to  the  Pitts- 
burgh Chapter  of  the  American  Institute 
of  Architects,  and  is  a  member  of  the 
Sacred  Heart  Roman  Catholic  Church. 

The  fine,  clearly-cut  features  of  Mr. 
Brennan  are  those  of  a  man  whose  artistic 
nature  is  combined  with  much  quiet  force 
of  character  and  a  full  share  of  business 
ability.  The  eyes  are  at  the  same  time 
keenly  observant  and  deeply  reflective, 
and  the  whole  aspect  and  bearing  are  in- 
dicative of  a  man  of  unobtrusive  dig- 
nity, somewhat  undemonstrative,  but 
thoroughly  genial  and  withal  sincerely 
social,  one  who  wins  friends  easily  and 
holds  them  throughout  life. 

Mr.  Brennan  married,  November  2, 
1873,  Louisa  A.,  daughter  of  Adolph  A. 
and  Walberg  (Wolf)  Reinhart,  of  Phil- 
adelphia. Mr.  Reinhart  was  a  noted  mu- 
sician of  that  city  and  a  representative  of 
a  pioneer  family  of  that  part  of  the  state. 
Mrs.  Brennan  possesses  a  cultivated  mind 
and  much  charm  of  manner  and  both  she 
and  her  husband  are  "given  to  hospi- 
tality." 

We  are  told  that  "the  pen  is  mightier 
than  the  sword,"  but  the  pen  of  the  bi- 
ographer is  certainly  not  mightier  than 
the  work  of  the  architect.  Words,  written 

183 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


or  spoken,  are  weak  compared  with  the 
silent  eloquence  of  brick  and  stone.  The 
architect  speaks  for  himself  and  John  Pat- 
rick Brennan  has  carved  his  name  on  the 
city  of  Pittsburgh  in  characters  that  will 
stand  the  test  of  time. 


CLARK,  James  M., 

Prominent  La-nryer. 

The  history  of  the  legal  profession  in 
Pittsburgh  is  the  history  of  a  force  not 
less  potent  than  that  of  its  factories  and 
furnaces.  The  members  of  the  bench  and 
bar  of  the  Iron  City,  as  factors  in  the 
moulding  of  her  destiny,  have  been  the 
equals  of  her  steel  kings  and  her  oil 
magnates,  and  at  the  present  time  the 
lawyers  of  Pittsburgh  are  a  power  in  the 
community.  Among  the  foremost  of  those 
now  engaged  in  active  practice  is  James 
Murdoch  Clark,  a  descendant  of  Revolu- 
tionary ancestors  who  served  well  their 
nation  in  their  day. 

Mr.  Clark  traces  his  Revolutionary 
ancestry  to  his  great-great-grandfather, 
Captain  James  Clark,  and  through  the 
marriage  of  Captain  Clark  to  Nancy  Reed 
he  is  the  great-great-great-grandson  of 
Captain  John  Reed,  an  ofificer  in  command 
of  a  company  of  Pennsylvania  soldiers 
in  the  "Jersey  campaign"  of  1776-77. 
James  Clark  emigrated  from  the  North 
of  Ireland  to  this  country  and  settled 
in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  about 
1740,  and  afterwards  married  Nancy, 
daughter  of  Captain  John  Reed,  and 
had  children,  four  sons  and  five  daugh- 
ters: David,  married  Hannah  Baird ; 
James,  married  Mary  Murray ;  Thomas, 
married  Jane  Calwell ;  John,  married  Jane 
McDowell;  Esther, married Josiah  Smith; 
Nancy,  married  David  Humphreys  ;  Mary, 
married  (first)  Jeremiah  Rankin,  (sec- 
ond) Charles  Kilgore ;  Jenny,  married 
David  Elder ;  Rebecca,  married  John  Tag- 
gart.     His  second  wife  was  Esther  Ren- 

21: 


nick.  She  had  no  children.  During  the 
Revolutionary  War,  James  Clark  was 
captain  of  the  Fifth  Company,  Fourth 
Battalion,  Cumberland  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania Militia,  in  service  July  17,  1777,  to 
December,  1777,  and  captain  of  the  Fifth 
Company,  Sixth  Battalion,  in  service, 
August  26,  1780.  He  patented  a  tract  of 
land  in  what  is  now  Cumberland  county, 
Pennsylvania,  known  as  "Clark's  Fancy," 
and  on  part  of  this  farm  the  town  of 
Upper  Strasburg  was  built.  About  1789 
he  sold  this  farm  and  moved  to  a 
farm  about  two  miles  from  Mercersburg, 
Franklin  county,  Pennsylvania,  at  which 
place  he  died  in  1821,  aged  about  one 
hundred  and  four  years.  He  was  buried 
at  the  Slate  Hill  Cemetery,  about  one 
and  one-half  miles  from  Mercersburg,  the 
same  being  the  burial  ground  of  the  As- 
sociate Reformed  Church,  in  which  he 
was  an  elder. 

David  Clark,  son  of  Captain  James  and 
Nancy  (Reed)  Clark,  was  born  in  Cum- 
berland county,  Pennsylvania,  in  the  year 
1755.  He  removed  to  Washington  county, 
same  State,  about  the  year  1789,  and 
settled  near  the  town  of  Washington.  He 
married  Hannah,  daughter  of  John  and 
Margaret  Baird,  of  Cumberland  county, 
Pennsylvania,  and  had  nine  children : 
David,  married  Eliza  Clark;  James,  mar- 
ried Jane  Henderson ;  Esther,  married 
Rev.  Joseph  Stockton ;  Agnes,  married 
David  Larimer;  William,  died  in  infancy; 
Elizabeth,  married  Daniel  Houston  ;  Jean, 
died  in  infancy ;  Mary,  married  Paul  An- 
derson ;  Jean,  died  in  infancy.  David 
Clark  died  in  1821.  Both  he  and  his  wife 
are  buried  in  the  churchyard  of  the  North 
Buffalo  Church,  Washington  county, 
Pennsylvania,  where  their  graves  are  suit- 
ably marked. 

James  Clark,  son  of  David  and  Hannah 
(Baird)  Clark,  was  born  in  Washington 
county,  Pennsylvania,  in  1783,  died  in 
1821.    He  became  a  farmer  of  the  county. 


>^^    €^^C^^.^-t^-^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


a  member  of  the  United  Presbyterian 
church,  and  a  Whig  in  politics.  He  mar- 
ried Jane,  youngest  daughter  of  Rev.  Mat- 
thew Henderson,  who  was  a  missionary 
sent  out  from  Scotland  in  1758.  The  issue 
of  James  and  Jane  (Henderson)  Clark: 
David  ;  Matthew  Henderson  ;  James  ;  Wil- 
liam, see  forward ;   Mary  and  Elizabeth. 

William  Clark,  son  of  James  and  Jane 
(Henderson)  Clark,  was  born  January  19, 
1819.  He  was  a  farmer  and  a  communi- 
cant of  the  United  Presbyterian  church. 
In  politics  he  was  a  Republican.  He  mar- 
ried, May  14,  1856,  Margaret  Donaldson, 
born  September  4,  1829,  daughter  of  Ben- 
jamin and  Margaret  (Donaldson)  Mevey, 
granddaughter  of  Benjamin  and  Pru- 
dence (Pryor)  Mevey,  of  Virginia,  and 
great-granddaughter  of  Benjamin  and 
Martha  (Passmore)  Mevey  (Friends)  of 
Cecil  county,  Maryland.  The  children  of 
William  and  Margaret  Donaldson  (Me- 
vey) Clark  are  :  Jennie  Henderson  ;  Ben- 
jamin Mevey,  born  July  17,  1858;  Marga- 
ret Donaldson ;  William  Wylie,  born 
March  18,  1862;  James  Murdoch,  see  for- 
ward. 

James  Murdoch  Clark,  son  of  William 
and  Margaret  D.  (Mevey)  Clark,  was 
born  in  Washington,  Pennsylvania,  De- 
cember 15,  1863.  He  received  his  early 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  Wash- 
ington, and  was  graduated  from  Wash- 
ington and  Jefferson  College  with  the  de- 
gree of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  Choosing  the 
law  as  his  life-work.  Mr.  Clark  entered  the 
Law  School  of  Columbia  University,  New 
York  City,  graduating  LL.B.  and  from  a 
course  in  the  School  of  Political  Science 
of  Columbia  University  he  graduated 
A.M.  In  1887  Mr.  Clark  established  him- 
self in  the  practice  of  law  at  Los  Angeles, 
California,  remaining  until  1890,  when 
he  located  in  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  is  now  a  prominent  attorney. 
In  the  preparation  of  his  cases  Mr.  Clark 
is  very  thorough  and  painstaking  and  dis- 

21 


plays  keen  analytical  power,  logical  rea- 
soning and  careful  deductions.  Few  men 
are  his  equal  as  a  brilliant  and  efifective 
speaker,  which  fact  has  been  demonstrat- 
ed times  without  number  in  the  presen- 
tation of  his  cause  to  the  jury,  his  use  of 
argument,  of  humor  and  of  pathos  being 
equally  effective.  He  possesses  that  ju- 
dicial instinct  which  makes  its  way  quick- 
ly through  immaterial  details  to  the  es- 
sential points  upon  which  the  determina- 
tion of  a  cause  must  turn,  and  his  argu- 
ments are  logical,  forcible  and  clear.  Mr. 
Clark  is  a  director  of  the  Homewood 
People's  Bank.  He  is  a  Republican  in 
politics,  and  represented  the  old  Twenty- 
first  ward  of  Pittsburgh  in  the  Select 
Council  from  1898  to  1902.  As  a  business 
man  he  is  shrewd,  being  quick  to  see  an 
emergency  and  equally  quick  in  devising 
a  plan  to  meet  it.  His  fraternal  affiliation 
is  with  the  Benevolent  and  Protective 
Order  of  Elks,  No.  11,  of  Pittsburgh.  A 
man  of  social  nature,  he  is  a  member  of 
the  Duquesne,  Pittsburgh  Country,  Edge- 
worth,  Americus  and  Pittsburgh  Athletic 
clubs. 

James  M.  Clark  married,  May  3,  1893, 
at  Washington,  Pennsylvania,  Jean  Mc- 
Clane,  born  at  Washington,  Pennsylvania, 
daughter  of  William  and  Sarah  (McClane ) 
Swan.  W^illiam  Swan  was  a  newspaper 
man,  owner  and  publisher  of  the  Review 
and  Examiner  at  Washington,  Pennsyl- 
vania, from  1850  to  1876.  Mrs.  Clark,  a 
woman  of  charming  personality  is  ad- 
mirably fitted  by  mental  endowments, 
thorough  education  and  innate  grace  and 
refinement  for  her  position  as  one  of  the 
potent  factors  of  Pittsburgh  society,  and 
the  Clark  home  in  the  East  End  is  the 
scene  of  many  social  functions.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Clark  are  the  parents  of  James  Mur- 
doch Clark,  Jr.,  born  April  14,  1901 ;  Janet 
Swan  Clark,  born  November  15,  1904, 
died  February  i,  1906;  and  Margaret 
Clark,  born  December  20,  1913. 
85 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


BOOTH,  Bradford  A.,  M.D., 

Practitioner,  Sanitationist. 

Dr.  Bradford  Allen  Booth,  Chief  Diag- 
nostician of  the  Department  of  Public 
Health,  of  Pittsburgh,  is  conspicuous  in 
the  medical  fraternity  of  Pittsburgh  not 
only  as  a  city  official  but  also  as  the  pos- 
sessor of  a  large  general  practice.  Dr. 
Booth  is  a  native  of  Pittsburgh  and  his 
entire  career  has  thus  far  been  associated 
with  the  city  of  his  birth. 

Bradford  Allen  Booth  was  born  July 
26,  1878,  in  Pittsburgh,  and  is  the  son 
of  the  late  George  and  Elizabeth  Jane 
(Prince)  Booth.  A  biography  of  Mr.  Booth 
appears  elsewhere  in  this  work.  Brad- 
ford Allen  Booth  received  his  preparatory 
education  in  the  public  schools  of  Pitts- 
burgh, graduating  from  the  high  school. 
He  then  entered  the  Medical  Department 
of  the  Western  University  of  Pennsylva- 
nia (now  the  University  of  Pittsburgh), 
and  in  1900  graduated  with  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Medicine. 

After  serving  for  a  time  as  interne  in 
the  West  Pennsylvania  Hospital,  Dr. 
Booth  was  appointed  in  January,  1902, 
Medical  Inspector  of  the  Department  of 
Public  Health  of  Pittsburgh,  an  office 
which  he  still  retains,  the  title  having 
been  changed  in  1913  to  Chief  Diagnosti- 
cian of  the  Department  of  Public  Health. 
In  addition  to  discharging  the  duties  of 
this  very  responsible  office,  Dr.  Booth  has 
to  meet  the  constant  demands  of  his  large 
and  steadily  increasing  practice.  He  is 
visiting  physician  on  the  staflF  of  the  West 
Penn  Hospital,  consulting  physician  at 
the  Eye  and  Ear  Hospital  and  the  Mu- 
nicipal Hospital  for  Contagious  Diseases, 
and  visiting  staflf  physician  in  charge  of 
infectious  diseases  at  the  Allegheny  Gen- 
eral Hospital.  He  is  also  Instructor  in 
Medicine  at  the  University  of  Pittsburgh. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Pittsburgh  Acad- 
emy of  Medicine,  the  American  Medical 

2 


Association,  the  Pennsylvania  State  Med- 
ical Association,  the  Allegheny  County 
Medical  Society,  and  the  Austin  Flint 
Medical  Society. 

A  Republican  in  politics,  Dr.  Booth 
takes  no  active  part  in  the  afifairs  of  the 
organization,  but  is  never  found  wanting 
in  the  duties  of  citizenship.  He  affiliates 
with  the  Masonic  fraternity  is  a  mem- 
ber of  Pittsburgh  Commandery,  No.  i, 
Knights  Templar,  an  associate  member  of 
the  Pittsburgh  Press  Club,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Emory  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 

As  the  incumbent  for  so  many  years  of 
a  prominent  public  position  Dr.  Booth  is 
known  by  sight  to  a  majority  of  Pitts- 
burghers,  and  any  description  in  this 
article  of  his  personal  appearance  would 
be  entirely  superfluous.  It  corresponds 
with  his  character  which,  as  his  record 
bears  witness,  is  that  of  an  able  physician 
and  a  thoroughly  competent  and  perfect- 
ly fearless  public  official. 

Dr.  Booth  married,  in  June,  1904,  Mar- 
garet, daughter  of  James  B.  and  Martha 
(Parker)  Youngson,  of  Pittsburgh.  Mr. 
Youngson  is  now  in  charge  of  the  city's 
fruit  and  vegetable  inspection,  and  was 
for  years  one  of  the  larger  caterers  of 
the  metropolis.  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Booth  are 
the  parents  of  two  children :  Bradford 
Allen,  born  April  10,  1909;  and  Martha 
Parker,  born  March  9,  1913.  Dr.  Booth 
is  devoted  to  his  family  and  is  never  so 
happy  as  in  the  hours  which  the  strenu- 
ous demands  of  his  profession  permit  him 
to  spend  at  his  own  fireside.  Mrs.  Booth 
is  a  charming  home  maker  and  a  most 
gracious  and  tactful  hostess. 

While  Dr.  Booth  is  a  typical  Pitts- 
burgher  in  that,  while  still  a  young  man, 
he  has  achieved  a  measure  of  distinction, 
it  by  no  means  follows  that  the  period 
just  past  has  witnessed  his  greatest  suc- 
cesses. The  years  that  are  gone  promise 
richer  results  for  those  that  are  to  come. 
186 


(fXeJlLJlO, /X^ 


/Lc.^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


SCHAEFFER,  Charles  D., 

Physician,   Hospital   Official,   Financier. 

Charles  D.  Schaeffer,  M.D.,  surgeon- 
in-chief  of  the  AUentown  Hospital,  a 
son  of  David  and  Esther  Ann  (Christ) 
Schaeffer,  was  born  in  Maxatawny  town- 
ship, Berks  county,  November  4,  1864. 
Like  his  older  brothers,  it  seems  he  had 
a  natural  desire  for  higher  education,  and 
at  an  early  age  he  became  a  student  at  the 
Keystone  State  Normal  School,  where  he 
received  his  college  preparatory  training. 
He  was  graduated  with  honors  from 
Franklin  and  Marshall  College  in  1886, 
and  from  the  University  of  Pennsylvania 
in  the  M.D.  course  in  1889.  Locating  in 
AUentown  after  his  graduation,  he  soon 
achieved  more  than  a  local  reputation  as 
a  physician  and  surgeon.  For  a  number 
of  years  he  was  the  president  of  the  Board 
of  Health  of  AUentown.  When  Dr.  Yost's 
health  failed  and  he  could  no  longer  at- 
tend to  his  duties  as  mayor  of  AUentown, 
Dr.  Schaefifer  was  appointed  to  fill  the 
office,  and  on  April  22, 1907,  he  was  unani- 
mously elected  by  council,  mayor  of  AUen- 
town, to  fill  Dr.  Yost's  unexpired  term. 

Dr.  Schaeffer  has  taken  a  keen  interest 
in  the  financial  affairs  of  the  city,  being 
a  director  and  vice-president  of  the  Allen- 
town  National  Bank.  He  has  been  promi- 
nently identified  with  the  AUentown  Hos- 
pital since  its  inception  in  1898,  as  a 
trustee,  and  surgeon-in-chief.  The  splen- 
did results  accomplished  at  the  institution 
are  the  fine  results  of  his  untiring  energy. 
To  him  more  than  to  any  other  individual 
the  hospital  owes  its  marvelous  success. 
He  is  widely  known  as  a  skillful  and  suc- 
cessful physician  and  surgeon.  While  a 
student  at  the  University  of  Pennsylva- 
nia, Dr.  Schaefifer  was  one  of  the  founders 
of  the  Agnew  Society  and  is  now  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Lehigh  County  Medical  So- 
ciety ;  the  Lehigh  Valley  Medical  Society  ; 
the  Medical  Society  of  Pennsylvania;  the 
PEN— Vol  VI— 23  21 


Mississippi  Valley  Medical  Society ;  the 
American  Medical  Association,  and  the 
Roentgen  Ray  Society ;  and  a  member  of 
the  College  of  Surgeons  of  America.  Fra- 
ternally he  is  a  member  of  the  Jordan 
Lodge,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons,  and 
the  Elks.  He  is  the  medical  examiner  for 
the  following  life  insurance  companies : 
Penn  Mutual,  Great  Northwestern,  Na- 
tional Life,  New  England  Alutual,  Scran- 
ton  Life,  Fidelity,  of  Philadelphia,  and  the 
Pittsburgh  Mutual  Life,  Provident  Life 
and  Trust  Company. 

On  October  5,  1885,  Dr.  Schaefifer  was 
married  to  Clara  Smith,  daughter  of  Ben- 
neville  and  Feilana  (Weorley)  Smith,  of 
Smithville,  Lehigh  county.  Dr.  Schaeffer 
and  wife  are  prominently  identified  with 
Salem  Reformed  Church,  of  AUentown, 
which  he  served  as  elder  and  member 
of  the  chapel  building  committee.  Mrs. 
Schaeffer  takes  an  active  interest  in  the 
various  activities  of  the  church. 


REICHENBACH,  Alfred  L., 

Prominent  Man  of  Affairs. 

Alfred  L.  Reichenbach,  the  present 
mayor  of  the  city  of  AUentown,  is  the  son 
of  William  Reichenbach,  who  was  born 
February  16,  1822,  and  died  April  14,  1886, 
and  his  wife,  Anna  (Stabler)  Reichen- 
bach, born  June  19,  1825,  died  September 
18,  1872.  He  was  one  of  a  family  of  six 
children,  namely:  Caroline,  who  married 
William  Gaugewere ;  Henry  L.,  born  De- 
cember 12,  1856;  Alfred  L.,  born  Decem- 
ber 17,  1858;  William;  Catharine,  and  a 
child  who  died  in  infancy.  His  mother 
was  one  of  the  nine  children  of  Lawrence 
Stabler,  one  of  the  prominent  residents  of 
LTpper  Milford  township,  Lehigh  county, 
who  served  that  township  as  justice  of 
the  peace  from  1812  to  1845.  Mr.  Stabler 
was  born  April  19,  1779,  and  died  August 
15,  1854.  His  wife,  Magdalena  (Rein- 
hard)  Stabler,  was  born  August  12,  1789, 

87 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


and  died  April  27,  1876.  Mr.  Reichen- 
bach's  great-grandfather,  John  Nicholas 
Stahler,  Jr.,  was  born  in  Upper  Milford 
township,  Lehigh  county,  in  June,  1752, 
and  died  September  24,  1830.  He  married 
Barbara  Baer  and  had  three  sons,  Law- 
rence, Daniel  and  Jacob,  and  three  daugh- 
ters. 

John  Nicholas  Stahler,  Sr.,  the  great- 
great-grandfather  of  Mayor  Reichenbach, 
the  first  of  his  family  in  this  country,  was 
a  native  of  the  Palatinate,  Germany,  and 
emigrated  to  America  at  the  time  so  many 
thousands  of  his  countrymen  responded 
to  the  invitation  of  the  Penns  to  settle  in 
Pennsylvania.  In  company  with  several 
others  who  settled  in  the  same  commu- 
nity, he  sailed  from  Rotterdam,  Holland, 
in  the  ship  "St.  Andrew,"  and  arrived  at 
Philadelphia  on  October  2^,  1738.  He 
settled  in  what  is  now  Upper  Milford 
township,  Lehigh  county,  near  Zionsville, 
where  he  farmed  a  tract  of  175  acres  of 
land  and  where  he  died  in  September, 
1794,  leaving  six  sons:  Anthony,  John 
Nicholas,  Jr.,  PhiHp,  Ludwig,  Henry  and 
Peter. 

Mr.  Reichenbach  as  a  young  man  en- 
gaged in  various  business  pursuits,  was 
for  some  years  gardener  for  the  late  Judge 
Edward  Harvey,  later  was  a  clerk  in  the 
Lehigh  Valley  Railroad  freight  ofhce  at 
Allentown,  and  in  1892  was  elected  city 
treasurer  of  Allentown  on  the  Democratic 
ticket.  His  courtesy,  attention  to  busi- 
ness, and  the  many  improvements  intro- 
duced by  him  to  facilitate  business,  made 
him  thousands  of  friends,  and  at  the  ex- 
piration of  every  term  he  was  reelected, 
having  served  the  citizens  of  Allentown 
as  treasurer  for  nearly  twenty-four  years. 
In  1915,  his  name  was  presented  for  may- 
or of  the  city  and  at  the  primaries  on 
September  21,  I9i5,he  received  more  than 
seventy  per  cent,  of  the  total  vote  cast 
and  was  declared  the  sole  nominee  for  the 
office,  on  a  non-partisan  ballot,  and  was 

2\i 


elected  in  November  following.  On  Janu- 
ary I,  191 5,  he  was  sworn  in  as  mayor 
together  with  four  councilmen,  who,  with 
the  mayor,  ex-ofificio  a  member  of  council, 
form  the  governing  power  of  the  city. 

Mr.  Reichenbach  has  been  extremely 
active  in  firemen's  organizations  and  is 
treasurer  of  the  State  Firemen's  Associa- 
tion. In  1913,  he  was  appointed  by  the 
governor  of  Pennsylvania  a  member  of 
the  commission  to  provide  for  the  selec- 
tion of  a  site  and  erection  of  a  state  insti- 
tution for  inebriates.  In  1913,  he  was 
offered  the  presidency  of  the  Allentown 
National  Bank,  but  declined.  Mr.  Reich- 
enbach has  great  ability  as  an  organizer 
and  is  in  great  demand  when  celebrations 
or  entertainments  on  a  large  scale  are 
planned.  He  is  a  member  of  the  board  of 
trustees  of  the  Allentown  Hospital,  and 
as  one  of  the  executors  of  the  estate  of 
Judge  Edward  Harvey,  was  the  leading 
spirit  in  the  erection  of  the  magnificent 
nurses'  home,  recently  completed,  provid- 
ed for  by  the  will  of  Judge  Harvey. 

In  Masonic  circles,  Mr.  Reichenbach 
has  attained  all  the  honors  the  various 
bodies  in  Allentown  can  confer  upon  him. 
In  1885,  he  became  a  member  of  Green- 
leaf  Lodge,  No.  561,  Free  and  Accepted 
Masons ;  and  was  worshipful  master  in 
1890.  In  1905  he  was  most  eminent  high 
priest  of  Allen  Chapter,  No.  203,  Royal 
Arch  Masons ;  and  thrice  illustrious  mas- 
ter of  Allen  Council,  No.  23,  Royal  and 
Select  Masters.  In  1906  he  was  eminent 
commander  of  Allen  Commandery,  No. 
20,  Knights  Templar,  and  also  served  a 
3^ear  as  grand  sword  bearer  of  the  Grand 
Commandery  of  Pennsylvania.  He  is  a 
member  of  Caldwell  Consistory,  thirty- 
second  degree,  of  Bloomsburg,  Ancient 
and  Accepted  Scottish  Rite ;  and  has  re- 
ceived the  thirty-third  degree.  He  is  a 
past  potentate  of  Rajah  Temple,  Ancient 
Arabic  Order  Nobles  of  the  Mystic 
Shrine,  of  Reading,  and  is  a  member  of 


Z«<-/5  /fnU, 


Bulhr^  A- 


^'te^  =25 .  cA^/cA^p/^/r/cA 


The  RembtandiEng  CaPh-k 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OE   BIOGRAPHY 


Mary  Council.  Knights  of  the  Red  Cross 
of  Constantine.  On  June  lo,  1913,  he  was 
one  of  the  charter  members  of  Jordan 
Lodge,  No.  673,  Free  and  Accepted  Ma- 
sons, which  has  been  very  successful  in 
numerical  growth.  Mr.  Reichenbach  has 
one  son,  Brooke  M.  Reichenbach. 


WOOD,  M.  Allen,  M.D., 

Honored  Physician. 

Pennsylvania  boasts  of  many  men 
prominent  in  business  and  professional 
life  who  have  made  their  way  upward 
from  lowly  life,  in  the  face  of  obstacles 
almost  insurmountable  placed  in  their 
path.  Such  men  have  contributed  not 
only  to  the  industrial  and  professional 
glory  of  the  State  but  the  story  of  their 
lives  is  a  record  left  for  the  encourage- 
ment of  others  similarly  situated.  To  the 
young  man  struggling  against  adverse 
circumstance,  who  at  times  is  about  to 
surrender  hope  and  ambition,  the  life 
story  of  Dr.  M.  Allen  Wood  should  prove 
an  inspiration  and  an  incentive  to  take 
fresh  courage,  for  his  early  life  was  a 
struggle  from  the  day  when  a  farmer's 
boy  he  began  helping  his  father  on  a  farm 
producing  but  a  poor  crop  after  much 
hard  labor  had  been  expended,  until  the 
day  he  received  his  diploma  from  the 
Medical  Department  of  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania.  He  was  essentially  a  self- 
made  man,  his  parents  being  unable  to 
give  him  any  assistance  in  the  way  of 
obtaining  an  education  and  he  accepted 
help  from  no  one  else.  But  he  inherited 
from  his  parents  and  his  Puritan  ances- 
tors a  strong  body,  a  stout  heart  and  an 
ambition  that  no  discouragements  could 
subdue.  These  traits  were  a  legacy  from 
a  long  line  of  worthy  ancestors  tracing  on 
both  sides  to  New  England  families  who 
came  from  England  shortly  after  the 
"Mayflower"  landed  her  band  of  Pilgrim 
Fathers  at  Plymouth.     Pie  led  a  life  of 

2 


hard  work  and  jjrivation  as  boy,  youth 
and  young  man,  and  even  after  receiving 
the  long  coveted  degree  that  gave  him  the 
right  to  practice  medicine,  his  struggles 
were  not  over.  There  was  no  false  pride 
or  modesty  about  Dr.  Wood,  and  he  did 
not  hesitate  to  tell  how  he  was  many 
times  hungry,  nor  that  often  he  did  not 
know  where  the  next  day's  supplies  were 
to  come  from.  But  such  hardships  only 
nerved  him  to  greater  effort,  and  finally 
the  tide  turned,  and  for  many  years  he 
basked  in  the  sunlight  of  prosperity,  suc- 
cess and  honor.  He  fought  a  good  fight, 
never  lost  sight  of  the  goal  for  which  he 
started,  and  won  the  victory  his  courage 
and  his  attainments  deserved.  He  be- 
came a  skillful  physician,  had  a  lucrative 
practice,  was  held  in  high  esteem  by  his 
professional  brethren,  and  won  the  per- 
fect confidence  of  all  to  whom  he  min- 
istered. 

Dr.  Wood  was  born  in  Bensalem  town- 
ship, Bucks  county,  Pennsylvania,  Janu- 
ary 20,  1848,  and  died  in  Philadelphia, 
where  he  had  practiced  medicine  forty- 
one  years,  in  1915.  He  was  the  son  of 
Robert  H.  and  Sarah  Ann  Wood,  both  his 
paternal  and  maternal  ancestors  coming 
from  England  to  New  England  in  earliest 
colonial  days.  Robert  H.  Wood  was  a 
farmer  of  Bucks  county,  and  until  his 
thirteenth  year  his  son  Allen  was  his 
father's  assistant.  There  were  no  oppor- 
tunities for  securing  an  education  beyond 
the  rudiments  near  his  home,  and  the 
daily  routine  was  "early  to  bed,  early  to 
rise,"  in  order  to  be  in  good  condition  for 
the  day's  labor.  But  he  was  always  at 
his  post  and  bore  his  full  share  of  the 
family  burdens,  reading  and  studying, 
however,  on  every  possible  opportunity, 
for  even  at  that  early  age  he  had  high 
aspirations  and  had  determined  that  in 
some  way  he  would  secure  a  medical  edu- 
cation. Shortly  after  his  thirteenth  birth- 
day he  made  a  definite  start,  left  home 
189 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


without  a  penny,  and  made  his  way  to 
and  applied  for  admission  to  Andulasia 
College,  then  situated  at  the  forks  of  the 
Bristol  and  Hulmville  turnpikes,  not  far 
from  Philadelphia.  He  performed  all 
kinds  of  service  to  pay  for  his  board, 
tuition  and  clothes;  but  he  persevered, 
paid  his  way,  kept  up  with  his  classes, 
and  was  graduated  with  honors  with  the 
class  of  1865,  being  then  not  yet  twenty 
years  of  age.  For  three  years  after  gradu- 
ation he  taught  in  the  same  college,  and 
made  such  progress  as  he  could  toward 
the  goal  of  his  ambition — a  medical  educa- 
tion. After  teaching  three  years  he  open- 
ed a  grocery  store  in  Bristol,  Pennsylva- 
nia, saving  from  his  profits  every  dollar 
possible,  that  he  might  enter  a  medical 
school.  Finally  he  had  sufficient  funds  to 
venture,  and  he  came  to  Philadelphia  and 
entered  the  Medical  Department  of  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania.  The  same 
courageous  spirit  and  determination  that 
had  sustained  him  on  the  farm  in  Bucks 
county  and  had  carried  him  through  the 
hard  years  at  Andulasia  College,  was 
manifest  during  his  medical  course  at  the 
University,  and  in  1874  he  was  awarded 
his  degree  of  Medical  Doctor,  receiving 
a  diploma  that  was  wholly  earned  by  his 
own  labor,  for  he  had  received  from  no 
one  any  financial  assistance. 

He  chose  Philadelphia  as  the  seat  of  his 
practice,  locating  first  on  York  street, 
north  of  Emerald.  He  experienced  all  the 
tribulations  of  the  young  doctor,  but  he 
soon  established  a  fair  practice,  and  after 
a  year  on  York  street  moved  his  office  to 
East  Cumberland  street,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1878,  continually  growing  in 
favor  as  a  skillful,  reliable,  honorable 
physician.  In  1878  he  removed  to  165 
West  Susquehanna  avenue,  and  in  1882 
to  155  West  Susquehanna  avenue,  where 
he  continued  in  successful  honorable 
practice  until  his  death  in  1915.  When 
prosperity  came  to  him  in  the  form  of  a 

2 


lucrative  practice.  Dr.  Wood  enjoyed  the 
comforts  it  brought  in  its  wake,  and 
throughout  many  prosperous  years  that 
followed  he  compensated  himself  for  his 
early  years  of  self-denial  and  privation. 
He  was  ever  a  worker,  however,  and  no 
call  for  his  professional  services  ever  went 
unanswered  if  it  laid  in  his  power  to  make 
it,  be  it  day  or  night,  in  sunshine  or 
storm.  He  was  in  active  practice  forty- 
one  years  in  Philadelphia,  and  during 
those  years  he  won  high  standing  in  the 
medical  world,  knowing  no  other  interests 
than  his  profession  and  his  family.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  medical  societies  of 
the  city  and  State,  and  kept  fully  abreast 
of  all  modern  medical  discovery  in  pre- 
vention or  treatment  of  disease.  So  an 
honored  useful  life  was  spent.  The  goal 
he  strove  for  was  honorably  won,  and, 
when  reached,  the  wisdom  he  had  ac- 
quired and  the  skill  he  had  attained  were 
given  freely  to  the  relief  of  suffering 
humanity,  often  without  money  and  with- 
out price.  His  own  struggles  had  not 
hardened  him,  but  had  made  him  broader 
in  his  humanity,  more  considerate  of  the 
poor,  and  more  generous  in  his  benefac- 
tions. His  death  was  truly  mourned  by 
a  large  circle  of  friends,  and  by  all  who 
had  ever  come  under  his  healing  minis- 
trations. 

Dr.  Wood  married,  December  17,  1884, 
ten  years  after  his  graduation  from  the 
Medical  College,  Nancy,  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam A.  Hindman,  who  survives  him,  with 
three  children  :  Elizabeth  Hindman,  How- 
ard Allen  and  Anna  Madeline  Wood. 


BARCLAY,  William  F.,  M.D., 

Practitioner,  Author. 

The  Barclay  family  is  of  French  and 
Anglo-Saxon  origin,  and  was  first  found- 
ed in  America  by  members  of  the  Society 
of  Friends  who  were  contemporaries  of 
William  Penn.  The  immigrant  ancestor 
190 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


was  John  Barclay,  who  was  Governor  of 
East  Jersey.  The  family  later  scattered 
to  New  York  and  Albany. 

Lowry  Barclay,  grandfather  of  William 
Franklin  Barclay,  was  born  in  Bally 
Clare,  County  Antrim,  near  Belfast,  Ire- 
land, and  about  1812  emigrated  to  the 
United  States,  settling  first  in  Philadel- 
phia, then  removing  to  Shippensburg, 
Pennsylvania,  and  finally  making  his 
home  in  Indiana  county,  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  had  a  large  estate. 

John  Agnew,  son  of  Lowry  Barclay, 
was  born  in  1820,  and  married  Margaret 
Medler,  daughter  of  William  and  Annie 
(Fulkison)  Lomison. 

Dr.  William  Franklin  Barclay,  son  of 
John  Agnew  and  Margaret  Medler  (Lo- 
mison) Barclay,  was  born  February  13, 
1842,  in  a  log  house  near  Jacksonville,  In- 
diana county,  Pennsylvania,  and  received 
his  education  in  public  schools.  At  the 
age  of  eighteen  he  became  for  a  short 
time  an  instructor,  and  then  attended  suc- 
cessively Mechanicsburg  Academy,  Jack- 
sonville Academy  and  Cherry  Valley  Aca- 
demy. He  was  prepared  for  the  senior 
class  in  Washington  and  Jefferson  Col- 
lege, and  would  have  graduated  had  it 
not  been  that  those  were  the  days  of  the 
Civil  War.  The  call  to  arms  sounded 
louder  in  the  ears  of  the  student  than  the 
summons  to  the  class-room,  and  in  1864 
he  enhsted  in  Company  D,  Fifty-fourth 
Regiment  Pennsylvania  Volunteers,  and 
was  in  active  service  until  honorably  dis- 
charged. 

On  his  return  to  civil  life,  the  young 
soldier  turned  his  attention  to  the  profes- 
sion for  which  he  was  eminently  fitted. 
He  began  the  study  of  medicine  at 
Greensburg,  Pennsylvania,  under  the 
guidance  of  his  uncle.  Dr.  H.  G.  Lomi- 
son, and  at  the  end  of  two  years  matricu- 
lated at  Jefferson  Medical  College.  He 
afterward  entered  the  Long  Island  Col- 
lege Hospital  of  New  York,  and  in  1866 

2 


graduated  with  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Medicine.  Immediately  thereafter  Dr. 
Barclay  entered  upon  the  general  practice 
of  his  profession  at  Saltsburg,  Pennsyl- 
vania, remaining  eleven  years,  during 
which  time  he  acquired  invaluable  experi- 
ence and  built  up  a  substantial  reputation. 
In  1878  he  went  to  New  York,  attended 
two  full  courses  of  lectures,  and  did  post 
graduate  work.  In  1881  he  established 
himself  in  Pittsburgh,  and  from  that  time 
to  the  present  has  been  engaged  in  active 
practice. 

As  a  writer  upon  medical  subjects  Dr. 
Barclay  has  been  quoted  in  the  works  of 
many  eminent  medical  authorities.  He  is 
the  author  of  two  papers  upon  "Nutri- 
tion," read  before  the  Tri-State  Medical 
Association  of  Maryland,  West  Virginia 
and  Pennsylvania,  at  Bedford,  Pennsyl- 
vania, in  July,  1897,  and  reprinted  in  the 
"Maryland  Medical  Journal"  of  Novem- 
ber 20,  1897.  Among  his  other  writings 
are  an  essay  upon  "Arsenic  in  Therapy," 
published  in  the  "Lancet-Clinic"  of  Febru- 
ary I,  191 3.  and  read  before  the  Mississippi 
Valley  Medical  Association  in  Chicago  in 
October,  1913;  an  article  upon  "Intesti- 
nal Auto-Intoxication,"  published  in  "The 
Hot  Springs  Medical  Journal" ;  a  paper 
entitled  "Solution  of  Bromide  of  Gold 
and  Arsenic  in  Therapy,"  read  before  the 
Tri-State  Society,  in  Cumberland,  Mar>^- 
land,  in  June,  1894;  an  essay  on  "Toxics," 
published  in  "The  Journal  of  the  Ameri- 
can Medical  Association"  of  March  3, 
1895 ;  and  "Temperance  from  a  Physi- 
cian's Standpoint,"  published  in  the  "New 
England  Medical  Monthly"  for  April, 
1890. 

Among  the  professional  organizations 
with  which  Dr.  Barclay  is  associated  are 
the  Mississippi  Valley  Medical  Associa- 
tion, of  which  he  has  been  a  member  for 
over  twenty  years,  and  the  Tri-State 
Medical  Association  of  Pennsylvania, 
West  Virginia  and  Maryland.  The  politi- 
191 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


cal  affiliations  of  Dr.  Barclay  are  with  the 
Democratic  party,  but  he  has  always  been 
too  much  engrossed  by  his  professional 
obligations  and  responsibilities  to  enter 
political  life  otherwise  than  as  a  voter. 
He  is  a  thirty-second  degree  Mason,  and 
a  member  of  the  Third  Presbyterian 
Church. 

Force  of  intellect  and  force  of  will  are 
perhaps  the  predominating  traits  of  Dr. 
Barclay's  character,  controlled  and  per- 
vaded by  that  large  and  active  benevo- 
lence never  lacking  in  the  true  physician. 
Of  tall  stature  and  with  a  military  bear- 
ing, he  has  the  air  of  one  accustomed  to 
lead  and  to  command.  His  crown  of 
snow  white  hair  and  the  beard  of  the 
same  hue,  accentuating  features  which 
bear  the  stamp  of  thought  and  of  decision, 
invest  him  with  an  appearance  of  singu- 
lar distinction,  and  his  eyes  are  those  of 
a  man  who  has  seen  and  thought  and 
done.  Possessing  cultivated  tastes  and 
polished  manners  he  has  withal  a  per- 
sonal magnetism  which  draws  men  to 
him  and  it  is  no  exaggeration  to  say.  in 
words  expressive,  if  trite,  that  he  has 
"hosts  of  friends." 

Dr.  Barclay  married,  November  15. 
1863,  in  Saltsburg,  Pennsylvania,  Emma 
Sarah,  daughter  of  Thomas  H.  and  Sarah 
(Bierly)  Brown,  of  that  place,  and  they 
became  the  parents  of  three  sons.  Of 
these,  the  eldest,  Albert  Hampton,  was 
born  July  30,  1868,  attended  Bolar  Pre- 
paratory School,  Homer  City.  Pennsylva- 
nia, spent  three  years  at  Elders'  Ridge 
Academy,  some  time  at  Hopkins  Gram- 
mar School,  and  four  years  at  Yale  Uni- 
versity, graduating  in  1891  with  the  de- 
gree of  Master  of  Arts.  He  graduated 
after  a  three  years'  course  at  the  Yale 
Law  School,  and  then  went  abroad,  visit- 
ing most  of  the  continental  countries  of 
Europe.  In  1896  he  received  from  Yale 
Law  School  the  degree  of  Master  of 
Laws,  and  is  now  practicing  in  New  Ha- 

2 


ven,  Connecticut.  Mr.  Barclay  married 
Laura  Whitney  Williams,  and  has  four 
children.  Henry  Carlton  Barclay,  the 
second  son,  attended  Butler  High  School, 
Butler,  Pennsylvania,  and  graduated  from 
Washington  and  Jefferson  College,  and  in 
1898  from  Yale  University.  He  is  now 
doing  literary  work  in  Boston.  The  third 
son,  Paul  Lowry  Barclay  is  deceased. 

Mrs.  Barclay  passed  away,  and  Dr. 
Barclay  married  (second)  Annie  Negley, 
daughter  of  William  and  Jane  (Young) 
Wills,  of  Pittsburgh.  The  only  child 
of  this  second  union  is  a  daughter, 
Athalie  Griffiths  Barclay,  who  was  edu- 
cated at  Miss  Gleim's  School  and  at  Fair- 
mont Seminary,  Washington,  District  of 
Columbia.  Mrs.  Barclay  has  been  for 
the  last  twelve  years  treasurer  of  the 
Children's  Aid  Society  of  Allegheny 
County,  and  is  a  member  of  other  philan- 
thropic associations,  also  belonging  to  the 
Twentieth  Century  and  other  clubs. 

In  addition  to  his  home  in  the  East 
End.  Dr.  Barclay  is  the  owner  of  five 
hundred  acres  in  Indiana  county  which 
have  been  in  possession  of  the  family  for 
one  hundred  and  thirteen  years  and  are 
underlined  with  coal. 


KIPPLE,  Andrew  J., 

Lived  a  Useful   Life. 

Now  past  his  eighty-fifth  birthday,  the 
upright  form,  keen  eye,  and  generally  vig- 
orous appearance  of  Andrew  J.  Kipple 
give  little  evidence  of  the  weight  of  years 
he  carries.  And  his  life  has  not  been 
spent  on  "flowery  beds  of  ease."  but  from 
boyhood  until  his  honorable  retirement 
from  the  service  of  the  Pennsylvania  Rail- 
road he  has  been  one  of  the  world's 
energetic  workers. 

A  farmer's  boy  of  sturdy  frame,  later  he 
became  an  expert  wood  worker,  and  in 
185 1  entered  the  employ  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Railroad,  in  1853,  becoming  a  resi- 
192 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


dent  of  Altoona,  where  he  has  since  resid- 
ed. In  the  olden  times,  before  air-brakes 
gave  the  engineer  control  of  his  train,  and 
when  railroad  equipment  had  not  reached 
its  present  state  of  perfection,  the  "wreck 
train"  was  an  important  institution,  fre- 
quently called  into  quick  action.  As  lead- 
er of  a  crew  Mr.  Kipple  was  at  his  best, 
quickly  measuring  the  situation,  prose- 
cuting the  work  of  rescue  and  restoring 
order  swiftly  and  surely,  with  the  least 
possible  delay  to  traffic  and  a  minimum 
of  loss  to  the  company.  Under  the  stress 
and  strain  of  wreck  conditions  he  rarely 
made  a  mistake.  His  men,  with  perfect 
confidence  in  his  skill  and  judgment,  fol- 
lowed his  orders  implicitly,  konwing  he 
was  ever  careful  of  their  safety.  He  could 
always  foresee  the  moment  when  a  loco- 
motive or  a  car  would  topple  and  fall,  and 
the  moment  to  get  his  men  out  of  danger. 
Although  speed  was  a  prime  requisite, 
he  probably  cleared  more  and  greater 
wrecks  with  fewer  accidents  than  any 
other  man  on  the  line.  As  in  wrecks,  so 
at  fires,  and  in  command  of  the  railroad 
fire  department  at  local  fires  he  demon- 
strated like  energy  and  skill  as  a  fire- 
fighter. He  has  served  his  city  well  as 
citizen,  and  throughout  his  more  than 
sixty  years  residence  has  ever  been  held 
in  highest  esteem. 

Andrew  J.  Kipple  is  of  German  descent, 
a  grandson  of  George  Kipple,  who  settled 
in  Dauphin  county,  Pennsylvania,  and 
son  of  Jacob  and  Elizabeth  (Sweigert) 
Kipple,  whose  home  was  near  Harris- 
burg,  where  Andrew  J.  was  born  June  20, 
1830.  His  early  life  was  spent  on  the 
farm,  and  his  education  was  obtained  in 
the  public  schools  of  the  district.  Leav- 
ing the  farm,  he  became  a  carpenter's  ap- 
prentice, serving  four  years,  receiving  his 
board  and  four  dollars  monthly  as  com- 
pensation. But  he  became  skilled  as  a 
workman  and  found  his  services  in  de- 
mand as  a  journeyman.    In  185 1  he  began 

2 


working  for  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  in 
the  Harrisburg  car  shops,  continuing 
there  two  years,  and  in  1853  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  Altoona  shops,  then  consist- 
ing of  a  few  small  repair  shops  only,  Al- 
toona itself  but  a  straggling  village.  In 
1856  he  was  promoted  to  the  position  of 
foreman  of  the  freight  car  department,  a 
position  he  held  until  his  retirement. 
With  the  years,  his  department  grew,  and 
about  1870  was  moved  to  the  round  house 
on  First  street,  then  probably  the  largest 
shop  of  its  kind  in  the  world.  When  he 
first  became  foreman  he  had  a  force  of 
thirty-three  men  under  him ;  when  he  re- 
tired he  was  in  command  of  a  force  of 
eight  hundred  and  eleven  men.  He  was 
for  many  years  also  in  command  of  a 
"wrecking  crew"  subject  to  call  day  or 
night,  in  storm  or  sunshine,  whenever  the 
call  came  that  disaster  had  overtaken  a 
train  on  his  division.  He  won  high  repu- 
tation in  this  branch  of  the  service  and 
demonstrated  his  ability  to  command  men 
in  an  emergency.  As  shop  foreman  he 
won  the  approval  of  his  superiors  in  office 
and  the  entire  confidence  of  his  force,  who 
with  regret  saw  their  long-time  leader 
succumb  to  the  requirements  of  the  "age 
limit"  adopted  by  the  company.  But  he 
retired  with  honors  and  with  the  knowl- 
edge that  for  nearly  half  a  century  he  had 
well  and  faithfully  served  an  appreciative 
corporation. 

As  a  citizen  he  was  mindful  of  his  obli- 
gations. He  sat  in  the  common  council 
as  representative  of  his  ward  for  two 
years,  and  as  the  head  of  a  trained  com- 
pany of  fire-fighters  organized  in  the  rail- 
road shops  for  the  preservation  of  com- 
pany property  aided  the  local  organiza- 
tion in  quelling  fires  in  the  city.  He  was 
one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Fairview 
Cemetery  Company,  serving  as  director 
and  treasurer  for  many  years.  In  frater- 
nal relation  he  is  affiliated  with  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Odd  Fellows.  He  has 
193 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


prospered  materially,  and  on  one  of  his 
two  large  farms  laid  out  the  now  thriving 
borough  of  Juniata,  in  Blair  county.  His 
home  is  at  No.  mo  Eighth  street,  Al- 
toona,  and  there  he  is  rounding  out  a 
long  and  well  spent  life  in  comfort  and 
ease,  happy  in  the  love  of  wife,  children, 
grandchildren,  and  great-grandchildren, 
secure  in  the  esteem  of  his  fellow  men. 

Mr.  Kipple  married,  in  1856,  Rachel, 
daughter  of  Peter  Sweigert,  of  Dauphin 
county,  Pennsylvania.  She  died  March 
29,  1894,  the  mother  of  five  children:  Ed- 
ward, died  aged  eight  years  ;  Oliver,  a  car 
builder  of  Altoona,  he  married  Agnes 
Cherry  and  has  two  children :  Hazel,  de- 
ceased, and  Martha,  the  wife  of  Clarence 
Burkett  and  mother  of  Oliver  George 
Burkett ;  William,  married,  and  has  four 
children  ;  Andrew,  residing  in  Pittsburgh, 
married  Minnie  Orr ;  Charles,  deceased, 
married  Minnie  McNulty,  and  left  four 
children :  Charles,  Rachel,  James,  and 
Sarah  Jane.  Andrew  Kipple  married 
(second)  May  2,  1895,  Harriet,  daughter 
of  John  B.  Hoover,  of  Huston  township, 
Blair  county. 


HARPER,  David  W., 

Public-spirited  Citizen. 

The  career  of  David  W.  Harper  fur- 
nishes a  conspicuous  example  of  that 
combination  of  striking  mental  abilities 
united  to  a  training  of  a  high  order,  and 
to  a  character  which  unites  in  an  unusual 
degree  enthusiasm,  ambition  and  a  resist- 
less energy.  The  successful  men  of 
America  have  made  this  type  of  business 
man  so  familiar  as  a  product  of  the  soil 
that  to  the  European  it  is  scarcely  short 
of  incredible  that  the  country  should  pro- 
duce so  many  examples  of  the  same  kind. 
Coming  of  parents  to  whom  the  free  and 
inspiring  atmosphere  of  the  United  States 
has  acted  as  a  vitalizer,  the  youth  of  an 
Old  World  parentage  find  here  the  oppor- 

2 


tunities  which  were  denied  their  parents 
and  caused  them  to  seek  new  homes.  It 
seems  to  act  upon  the  children  like  a  tonic 
wine,  and  brings  out  an  Americanism 
more  intense  than  that  of  the  Americans 
themselves.  The  country  owes  much  to 
this  virile  new  blood  which  constantly 
and  emphatically  confirms  the  hopes  for 
free  institutions,  that  were  entertained  for 
them  by  the  fathers  of  the  Republic.  Of 
such  a  stock  comes  David  W.  Harper,  ex- 
tensively interested  in  real  estate  matters, 
of  Erie,  Pennsylvania,  a  conspicuous  ex- 
ample of  success  earned  by  his  talents 
and  industry,  and  a  citizen  thoroughly 
worthy  of  the  esteem  and  respect  of 
his  fellow  citizens,  which  he  has  in  rich 
measure. 

He  is  a  son  of  William  W.  and  Mary 
(Tweed)  Harper,  both  of  whom  were 
born  in  Scotland.  They  came  to  America 
in  1861  and  for  a  short  time  they  lived  at 
Lynn,  Massachusetts,  where  the  father 
worked  at  his  trade  as  a  machinist,  then 
established  himself  in  Toronto,  Canada, 
where  he  followed  the  same  occupation 
for  ten  years.  He  was  then  an  engine 
builder  four  years ;  constructed  saw  mills 
in  the  south  for  some  years,  and  finally 
established  himself  in  the  insurance  busi- 
ness with  which  he  has  been  identified 
until  now,  with  the  exception  of  the  years 
from  1908  to  1912,  when  he  served  as 
county  treasurer.  He  was  a  Republican 
in  politics.  Of  his  six  children,  five  are 
living  at  the  present  time. 

David  W.  Harper  was  born  in  Toronto, 
Canada,  February  13,  1872,  being  the 
third  child  of  his  parents.  The  public 
schools  furnished  him  with  educational 
advantages,  and  these  were  supplemented 
by  private  instruction.  He  abandoned  his 
studies  in  order  to  serve  an  apprentice- 
ship to  the  moulder's  trade,  which  he 
learned  while  his  father  was  engaged  in 
the  construction  of  saw  mills.  After  he 
had  perfected  himself  as  an  iron  moulder, 
194 


Zeu/i!^  M'stertcal  J'i^^.  Ca 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


he  abandoned  this  in  favor  of  a  position 
in  the  Erie  Water  Department,  as  cashier, 
and  held  thisuntil  1891,  when  he  became 
stamp  clerk  in  the  Erie  post  office,  under 
Captain  Hilton,  and  served  until  1894. 
Later  he  became  a  United  States  railway- 
mail  clerk,  and  then  formed  a  partnership 
with  his  father,  doing  a  general  insurance 
business  under  the  firm  name  of  William 
W.  Harper  &  Son,  which  continued  until 
1900,  after  which  he  conducted  the  busi- 
ness alone  for  a  period  of  seven  years.  In 
1907  he  associated  himself  in  a  partner- 
ship with  James  Russell,  which  is  still  in 
existence,  under  the  name  of  Harper  & 
Russell.  In  connection  with  the  insur- 
ance business  the  firm  has  engaged  exten- 
sively in  the  real  estate  business,  having 
a  large  real  estate  brokerage  office. 

Mr.  Harper  is  an  ardent  advocate  of 
playgrounds  and  parks  for  children.  By 
persistent  argument  he  persuaded  the  city 
of  Erie  to  purchase  in  1914,  four  parks  in 
different  sections  of  the  city.  This  system 
of  park  construction,  when  completed, 
will  add  greatly  to  the  attractive  appear- 
ance of  the  city  of  Erie,  which  is  already 
renowned  for  its  beauty  in  this  respect. 
Mr.  Harper  is  vice-president  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Housing  and  Town  Planning 
Association,  and  was  chairman  at  the 
State  Conference  of  this  organization  held 
in  Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania,  April  6-7-8, 
1914,  his  particular  department  on  this 
occasion  being  "Sanitary  Homes  for 
Workingmen."  He  has  accomplished 
much  to  assist  in  the  growth  and  pros- 
perity of  the  city  in  which  he  lives,  both 
in  a  public  and  private  manner,  and  was 
one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Erie  Chamber 
of  Commerce.  Mr.  Harper  is  a  member 
of  Calvary  Baptist  Church.  He  is  identi- 
fied with  a  large  number  of  public  and 
private  enterprises  which  he  has  assisted 
to  organize  and  promote,  and  he  is  the 
owner  of  much  real  estate  as  well  marine 
property.    He  is  a  Knight  Templar  and  a 


Shriner,  and  a  staunch  Republican,  lie 
represented  the  Third  Ward  of  Erie  in 
the  city  council  in  1901-2,  and  was  renom- 
inated for  a  second  term  but  resigned  on 
account  of  business  matters  which  re- 
quired all  of  his  attention. 

Mr.  Harper  married,  June  30,  1904, 
Pearl,  a  daughter  of  John  Dawson  and 
Hattie  J.  Critchfield,  of  Mount  Vernon, 
Ohio.  They  have  had  children:  David 
D.,  born  April  29,  1905 ;  William  Tweed, 
born  February  20,  1907;  James  Critch- 
field, July  25,  ;  Robena  Pearl,  De- 
cember 23,  1912. 


JACOBS,  William  Clayton,  Ph.D., 

Distingnislied   Edncator. 

When  Dr.  Martin  G.  Brumbaugh  was 
called  from  the  superintendency  of  the 
public  schools  of  Philadelphia  to  the 
Governor's  chair,  there  was  but  one 
thought  in  the  minds  of  the  members  of 
the  Board  of  Education  as  to  who  his 
successor  would  be.  Mr.  Jacobs  had  been 
closely  associated  with  Dr.  Brumbaugh 
for  several  years  as  associate  superinten- 
dent, and  known  as  his  trusted,  confiden- 
tial lieutenant.  This  situation  made  him 
the  logical  successor  to  the  superinten- 
dent's office,  but  a  fact  more  generally 
acknowledged  by  the  board  was  his  pecu- 
liar fitness  for  the  post.  He  had  been 
connected  with  the  Philadelphia  schools 
for  a  quarter  of  a  century,  and  had  proved 
himself  in  every  position,  an  educator  of 
highest  attainment  and  practiced  methods. 
His  energy  was  remarkable.  He  literally 
never  knew  when  to  quit  work,  but  night 
and  day,  while  superintendent,  he  was 
continually  engaged  in  the  duties  of  his 
office. 

William  Clayton  Jacobs  was  born  in 
Juniata  county,  Pennsylvania,  on  Christ- 
mas Day,  i860,  and  died  at  his  home  in 
Philadelphia,  912  North  Sixty-third  street, 
July  23,  1915,  having  nearly  completed  his 
195 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY* 


fifty-fifth  year.  He  attended  the  public 
schools  of  his  district,  and. at  the  age  of 
twenty  he  was  teaching  in  those  schools. 
Later  he  became  a  student  at  Millersville 
State  Normal  School,  whence  he  was 
graduated  with  high  honors.  At  Millers- 
ville he  was  under  the  direct  instruction 
of  Dr.  Edward  Brooks,  who  later  was 
superintendent  of  schools  in  Philadelphia. 
In  1884  being  then  twenty-four  years  of 
age,  he  was  elected  superintendent  of 
schools  at  Port  Carbon,  Pennsylvania. 
After  two  years  of  success  in  that  position 
he  was  offered  the  superintendency  of  the 
schools  of  Schuylkill  Haven,  Pennsylva- 
nia, which  he  accepted  and  there  spent 
two  years.  His  reputation  had  grown 
with  the  years  and  ofifers  for  his  services 
were  numerous.  He,  however,  came  to 
Philadelphia  in  1888  as  principal  of  the 
Fayette  school.  From  that  time  his  rise 
was  rapid.  In  1890  he  was  elected  super- 
vising principal  of  the  Hoffman  school, 
Fifty-fifth  and  Vine  streets,  and  while 
there  established  a  school  printing  office 
from  which  was  issued  the  first  school 
paper  printed  in  the  city.  During  this 
period  he  studied  pedagogy  and  science 
at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  under 
Dr.  Brumbaugh,  then  Professor  of  Peda- 
gogy, and  in  1898  Mr.  Jacobs  received 
from  the  University  the  degree  of  Doctor 
of  Philosophy.  He  spent  eight  years  as 
supervising  principal  of  the  Hoffman 
school,  growing  in  strength  and  in  reputa- 
tion. In  1898  he  was  elected  assistant 
superintendent  of  schools,  and  in  1906  be- 
came associate  superintendent  as  an  aide 
to  Dr.  Brumbaugh.  From  that  time  for- 
ward he  bent  his  energies  to  the  upbuild- 
ing of  a  perfect  school  system  working 
hand  in  hand  with  his  chief  and  accom- 
plishing much.  He  was  a  strong  advo- 
cate of  a  revision  of  the  elementary  school 
system  and  the  elimination  of  all  but  the 
practical  course  of  study  in  those  grades, 
and  after  years  of  agitation  he  was  in  a 
position  to  bring  about  that  reform.     For 

2 


eight  years  he  was  Dr.  Brumbaugh's  aide 
and  coadjutor,  ranking  below  him  in 
official  title  only,  and  then  on  January  5, 
191 5,  succeeded  him  as  superintendent. 

In  1902  Dr.  Jacobs  suffered  a  break- 
down in  health  from  which  he  never  fully 
recovered.  On  assuming  the  superintend- 
ency he  at  once  plunged  into  a  course  of 
over  work  that  again  prostrated  him  and 
from  July  11,  191 5,  he  was  never  again  at 
his  office  in  the  stock  exchange  building. 
The  following  day  was  the  date  of  the 
final  summer  meeting  of  the  Board  of 
Education  but  he  was  unable  to  attend. 
He  was  exceedingly  desirous  that  the  am- 
bitious plans  he  had  formulated  for  the  re- 
organization of  the  elementary  schools 
should  go  into  effect  quickly,  and  to  this 
end  he  worked  day  and  night  with  the 
result  that  his  physical  nature  rebelled. 
He  worked  as  hard  at  his  home  as  he  did 
at  his  office  and  although  he  cannot  see 
the  result  of  his  plans  he  left  them  in  such 
perfected  shape  that  the  work  may  easily 
be  carried  on  by  his  successor. 

Dr.  Jacobs  was  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  Educational  Club ;  a  member  of  the 
Child  Study  Club,  the  Photographic  Club, 
the  Public  Education  Association,  the 
Schoolmen's  Club,  and  the  Home  and 
.School  League.  Although  he  was  in  office 
as  superintendent  but  a  short  time,  he 
had  in  former  positions  so  impressed 
his  views,  aims,  plans  and  hopes  upon 
teachers  and  officials  that  his  influence 
permeates  every  department  of  public 
school  life  and  will  long  continue  to  be 
felt. 

Dr.  Jacobs  married,  August  i,  1888, 
Sarah  C.  Diebert,  of  an  old  and  well 
known  Schuylkill  county  family,  daugh- 
ter of  Jacob  and  Mary  (Miller)  Diebert. 
Mrs.  Jacobs  survives  her  husband,  with 
an  only  child,  Benjamin  Homer  Jacobs, 
educated  in  Philadelphia  grammar  and 
high  schools,  now  connected  with  an 
Omaha  (Nebraska)  business  house,  and 
a  broker. 
T96 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


HARRIS,  John  P., 

Accomplished   Financier. 

In  point  of  years  of  continuous  banking 
connection  John  P.  Harris,  cashier  of  the 
Bellefonte  Trust  Company,  outranks  any 
other  banker  in  I'ennsylvania,  his  service 
beginning  in  1854  as  clerk  in  a  private 
bank.  Wide  and  varied  has  been  his 
experience,  deep  is  his  knowledge  of 
the  laws  and  usage  governing  financial 
transactions,  and  firm  has  ever  been  his 
stand  for  the  strictest  observance  of  these 
laws  that  safeguard  bank,  depositor,  and 
customer.  His  record  is  a  proud  one  and 
as  he  reviews  his  sixty-one  years  connec- 
tion with  the  banks  of  Bellefonte,  there 
is  nothing  but  satisfaction  in  the  retro- 
spect. He  has  borne  well  his  part  and 
can  justly  claim  to  have  been  an  impor- 
tant factor  in  the  upbuilding  and  develop- 
ment of  a  prosperous  community. 

Not  only  a  veteran  in  years  and  in 
banking  is  Mr.  Harris,  but  he  is  one  of 
the  men  who  when  the  spirit  of  abolition 
crystallized  into  party  action,  broke  loose 
from  party  moorings  and  cast  their  votes 
for  the  man  who  more  justly  than  any 
other  can  be  called  the  "father"  of  the  Re- 
publican party,  General  John  Charles  Fre- 
mont, the  "Pathfinder"  candidate  of  the 
Free  Soil  party  for  President  of  the 
United  States  in  1856.  The  spirit  that  led 
Mr.  Harris  to  the  support  of  General  Fre- 
mont was  still  the  dominating  force  in 
his  political  conviction  in  i860,  and  among 
the  supporters  of  the  Great  Lincoln  none 
was  more  ardent  than  he.  Thus  early 
baptized  in  the  Republican  faith,  he  has 
ever  since  remained  true  to  his  first  con- 
victions and  every  Republican  candidate 
for  President  has  received  his  vote,  there 
being  no  break  in  his  exercise  of  his.  right 
of  franchise  at  every  presidential  election 
since  he  first  became  a  voter.  He  has 
borne  his  full  share  of  civic  official  re- 
sponsibility  during  his   long  and   useful 


life,  one  form  of  his  interest  being  shown 
by  thirty-nine  years  of  consecutive  serv- 
ice as  a  member  of  the  school  board.  One 
cannot  contemplate  his  long  life,  contain- 
ing so  much  of  real  service  to  his  fellows, 
without  a  feeling  almost  reverential,  and 
the  fact  that  despite  his  weight  of  years 
the  old  "veteran"  is  yet  "in  the  harness", 
honored,  respected  and  deferred  to,  incites 
genuine  admiration  for  the  wonderful 
powers  of  mind  and  Vjody  that  have  so 
long  sustained  him.  Retirement  is  a  word 
not  in  his  vocabulary,  for  the  desire  to  be 
a  part  of  the  great  busy  world  of  affairs  is 
still  strong  within  him.  His  life  is  an  in- 
spiration to  the  fainthearted,  and  from  it  a 
great  lesson  may  be  drawn,  indicated  by 
the  poet  in  the  words :  "Act  well  thy 
part,  there  all  the  glory  lies." 

Mr.  Harris  is  a  grandson  of  John 
Harris,  who  after  the  Revolution  came 
from  Ireland  to  this  country,  locating  in 
Maryland.  Later  he  came  to  Pennsylva- 
nia, settling  in  Lycoming  county,  where 
his  son  Samuel  was  born  in  1790. 

Samuel  Harris  was  a  cabinet  maker, 
and  in  181 1  took  up  his  residence  in  Belle- 
fonte, Pennsylvania,  w^here  he  resided 
until  his  death,  August  21,  1865,  the 
victim  of  an  accident  caused  by  a  run- 
awa}'  team.  Fie  served  in  the  War  of 
1812,  and  was  a  man  highly  respected. 
He  married  Nancy  Peraken,  of  Scotch 
ancestry. 

John  P.,  son  of  Samuel  Harris,  was 
born  in  Bellefonte,  August  5,  1832,  re- 
cently celebrating  his  eighty-third  year  of 
continuous  residence  in  that  city.  He 
was  educated  in  public  schools  and  Belle- 
fonte Academy,  and  in  1854,  at  the  age  of 
twenty-two  years,  began  his  long  connec- 
tion with  Bellefonte  financial  institutions. 
His  first  position  was  as  clerk  in  the  pri- 
vate banking  house  of  McAllister,  Hale  & 
Company,  that  in  1864  reorganized  as  the 
First  National  Bank  of  Bellefonte.  Mr. 
Harris  became  cashier  of  the  new  institu- 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


tion  at  its  foundation,  and  so  continued 
for  thirty-four  years,  developing  an  apti- 
tude, skill,  and  wisdom  as  a  banker  that 
firmly  established  him  in  the  esteem  of 
bankers  and  the  banking  public.  In  1898 
he  resigned  to  return  to  private  banking 
business,  becoming  cashier  of  the  bank- 
ing house  of  Jackson,  Hastings  &  Com- 
pany. Six  years  later  that  house  reor- 
ganized as  the  Bellefonte  Trust  Company, 
Mr.  Harris  continuing  as  cashier  of  the 
new  institution,  a  position  he  still  holds, 
a  veteran  of  sixt3'-one  years  of  banking 
experience,  fifty-one  of  those  years  having 
been  spent  at  the  cashier's  desk.  Golden 
anniversaries  are  common  occurrences  in 
the  life  of  Mr.  Harris,  and  he  is  approach- 
ing the  time  when  diamonds  will  be 
necessary  to  observe  properly  his  banking 
and  wedding  anniversaries.  Years  and 
experience  have  given  him  a  wisdom  that 
can  only  come  from  such  sources,  and  he 
is  sought  in  counsel  on  all  important 
financial  questions  by  those  who  strongly 
rely  upon  his  sought  judgment  and  wis- 
dom in  such  matters. 

He  has  given  much  time  to  the  public 
service  of  his  community,  serving  in 
many  local  ofifices,  but  to  the  public 
schools  has  been  most  useful,  his  mem- 
bership on  the  school  board,  continuing 
for  thirty-nine  years,  being  marked  by 
great  advances  in  the  efficiency  of  the 
schools.  He  has  never  sought  nor  desired 
public  office,  although  deeply  concerned 
in  all  that  affects  the  public  welfare.  Stal- 
wart in  his  republicanism,  he  enjoys  the 
acquaintance  of  many  public  men  and  has 
attended  many  of  the  historical  gather- 
ings of  men  in  honor  of  events  of  national 
importance.  It  is  one  of  the  pleasant 
recollections  of  his  life  that  at  the  Grand 
Review  held  in  Washington  at  the  close 
of  the  Civil  War  he  was  privileged  to 
witness  the  march  of  the  tattered  veterans 
in  blue  along  Pennsylvania  avenue,  and 


to  join  in  rendering  homage  to  those  gal- 
lant defenders  of  the  country's  honor. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  of  long  standing,  and  has  risen  to 
high  degree  in  the  Masonic  order.  He  is 
a  member  of  Bellefonte  Lodge  No.  268, 
Free  and  Accepted  Masons ;  Bellefonte 
Chapter  No.  241,  Royal  Arch  Masons,  of 
which  he  has  been  treasurer  many  years ; 
Bellefonte  Commandery  No.  33,  Knights 
Templar;  and  holds  all  degrees  of  Wil- 
liamsport  Consistory,  Ancient  Accepted 
Scottish  Rite,  up  to  and  including  the 
thirty-second.  He  is  a  charter  member  of 
the  Temple,  Ancient  Arabic  Order  Nobles 
of  the  Mystic  Shrine,  of  Altoona,  and  is 
also  affiliated  with  the  Independent  Order 
of  Odd  Fellows. 

Mr.  Harris  married,  December  18,  i860, 
Mary  R.  Scott,  daughter  of  Alexander 
Scott,  of  Armstrong  county,  and  children, 
grandchildren,  and  great-grandchildren 
now  grace  the  family  record.  Nanny,  the 
eldest  child,  is  the  widow  of  A.  B.  Weaver. 
Her  daughter  Mary  married  Geard  Child, 
of  Trenton,  New  Jersey,  and  has  two 
sons,  John  P.  Harris  and  Geard  Child,  Jr., 
J.  Lynnhurst,  the  eldest  son,  resides  in 
Bellefonte.  Edith,  the  second  daughter, 
married  Rudolph  Schad,  and  has  two  chil- 
dren, Mary  and  Frederick  Schad.  Emily, 
the  third  daughter,  is  the  widow  of  Frank 
Warfield,  and  has  a  daughter,  Mary  War- 
field.  John  P.,  Jr.,  married  Catherine 
Hutchinson,  and  has  three  children :  John 
H.,  Helen  K.,  and  Mary  Harris.  Edward, 
a  practicing  physician,  married  and  has 
two  children,  Edward,  Jr.,  and  Jean 
Harris. 


ROACH,  John, 

Founder  of  Famous  Shipbuilding  Tarda. 

Now  that  the  ship-building  interest  is 
again  coming  into  its  own  in  the  United 
States   and   that   the   city  of  Chester   is 

198 


kJym^  r1^^^(^^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


again  a  busy  "hive  of  industry,"  the  days 
are  recalled  when  John  Roach,  with  his 
immense  ship-building  plant,  made  the 
names  Roach  and  Chester  almost  synony- 
mous. That  master  mind  and  great  build- 
er of  ships  admitted  his  son,  John  Baker 
Roach,  as  a  partner,  and  when  the  Dela- 
ware River  Iron  Ship-building  and  En- 
gine Works  was  organized  with  John 
Roach  as  president  and  John  B.  Roach 
as  secretary  and  representative  of  his 
father,  there  began  the  building  of  iron 
steamships  on  a  scale  hitherto  unheard 
of.  New  lines  were  established  and  old 
one  encouraged  to  add  to  their  fleets  the 
new  style  of  iron  ships  contemptuously 
dubbed  by  the  old  sea  captains  "tin 
ships".  The  career  of  John  Baker  Roach 
rivalled  that  of  his  famous  father,  whose 
close  associate  he  was  for  many  years, 
and  at  the  great  Chester  plant  he  became 
supreme.  True  "Captains  of  Industry" 
they  were,  and  identified  with  every  plate, 
beam,  bolt,  shaft,  or  part  of  the  great  en- 
gines and  ships  they  built.  Pioneers  in  a 
full  sense,  they  gave  to  the  world  a  new 
industry  and  to  the  city  of  Chester  a  fame 
that  shall  ever  endure.  The  name  is  now 
represented  in  that  city  by  William  Mc- 
Pherson  Roach,  youngest  son  of  John 
Baker  Roach,  and  grandson  of  John 
Roach,  pioneer  builder  of  iron  ships  and 
of  the  first  ships  of  the  new  American 
navy,  the  dispatch  boat  "Dolphin"  and 
the  cruisers  "Atlanta".  "Boston",  and 
"Chicago",  ships  now  forgotten,  but  the 
men  who  built  them  have  their  names  in- 
delibly inscribed  on  America's  industrial 
Roll  of  Honor. 

John  Roach  exemplified  in  his  career 
the  vicissitudes  of  a  business  man's  life 
and  the  strange  freaks  Fortune  can  play 
upon  a  man.  When  the  demand  for  an 
iron  and  steel  navy  arose,  it  was  to  John 
Roach  that  the  government  looked  to 
meet  its  needs,  and  it  was  from  the  same 
government   that    he   received    the    blow 

2 


that  swept  away  his  fortune  and  that 
carried  him  to  his  grave.  Once  before  he 
had  seen  himself  on  the  high  road  to  pros- 
perity, when  the  failure  of  another  carried 
him  down.  But  then  he  was  a  young 
man  and  quickly  regained  his  footing, 
only  a  few  years  later  to  see  plant  and 
business  swept  away  by  fire,  leaving  him 
again  without  a  dollar.  From  that  crush- 
ing blow  he  also  recovered,  but  when  in 
1885  he  was  obliged  to  assign  to  his 
creditors  through  governmental  decisions, 
he  was  a  man  of  seventy  years,  and  so 
complete  and  unlooked  for  was  his  down- 
fall that  until  he  lost  consciousness  two 
years  later,  he  could  never  refer  to  it 
without  uncontrollable  emotion.  His  life 
was  typical  of  the  great  possibilities  open 
to  a  man  of  courage,  initiative,  and  en- 
ergy. His  abilities  and  achievement  com- 
manded national  and  international  regard, 
and  his  life,  closing  as  it  did,  excited  the 
warmest  human  sympathy. 

John  Roach  was  born  at  Mitchelstown, 
County  Cork,  Ireland,  December  25, 1815. 
His  father  was  a  merchant  of  high  char- 
acter, his  mother  a  woman  of  intelligence, 
keen  and  buoyant  of  nature,  and  both  un- 
tiring workers.  He  died  at  his  residence, 
624  Fifth  avenue.  New  York  City,  January 
10,  1887,  of  cancer  of  the  mouth.  His 
boyhood  was  spent  in  acquiring  an  educa- 
tion, but  he  lost  his  father  when  he  w'as 
thirteen  years  of  age,  and  three  years  later 
he  came  to  the  United  States,  landing  in 
New  York.  He  secured  employment  with 
James  P.  Allaire  at  the  Howell  Iron 
Works,  located  at  the  town  of  Allaire, 
Monmouth  county.  New  Jersey,  now  a 
forgotten  works  and  village.  His  life  was 
a  succession  of  success  and  misfortune 
until  finally,  after  Mr.  Allaire's  failure,  he 
located  in  New  York  City,  there  learning 
foundry  management  and  details  concern- 
ing marine  work.  With  three  of  his  fel- 
low workmen  he  started  a  small  foundry, 
prospered,  bought  out  his  partners,  and 
199 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


in  1856  considered  himself  worth  thirty 
thousand  dollars.  His  plant  was  destroy- 
ed that  year,  and  not  being  able  to  collect 
his  insurance  he  was  again  penniless  after 
paying  his  debts.  But  he  had  won  an 
honorable  name  and  credit  which  enabled 
him  to  rebuild,  and  as  the  Etna  Iron 
Works  he  prospered  as  he  never  had  be- 
fore. He  specialized  in  the  heaviest  type 
of  marine  engines,  erecting  many  for  the 
United  States  government,  the  largest  en- 
gines ever  built  in  this  country  at  that 
time.  In  1868  his  business  had  grown  so 
large  that  he  purchased  the  Morgan  Iron 
Works  in  New  York  City  and  other 
plants,  including  the  well  established 
shipyard  of  Reany,  Son  &  Archbold,  at 
Chester,  Pennsylvania,  a  plant  that  had 
built  several  monitors  and  other  ships  for 
the  United  States  government.  His  son, 
John  B.  Roach,  was  admitted  as  partner 
in  the  firm  of  John  Roach  &  Son,  that 
firm  reorganizing  in  1871  as  the  Delaware 
River  Iron  Ship-building  and  Engine 
Works,  John  B.  Roach  being  placed  in 
charge  of  the  Chester  plant,  and  John 
Roach  conducting  the  financial  afifairs  of 
the  company  from  New  York.  They  built 
great  engines  for  the  government  war 
vessels,  a  sectional  dry  dock  at  Pensacola 
in  1875,  ^"^d  in  1873  began  the  construc- 
tion of  the  dispatch  boat  "Dolphin",  and 
the  three  cruisers  "Atlanta",  "Boston", 
and  "Chicago",  the  first  ships  of  the  new 
navy.  An  unfortunate  disagreement  arose 
with  William  C.  Whitney,  Secretary  of  the 
Navy,  with  the  result  that  the  building 
company  found  themselves  in  such  a  posi- 
tion that  on  July  18,  1885,  Mr.  Roach 
made  an  assignment,  and  under  the  strain 
his  powerful  constitution  and  iron  will 
gave  way,  his  death  occurring  January 
10,  1887.  His  life  was  a  marvel  of  indus- 
trial labor,  and  his  genius  and  individu- 
ality were  immutably  impressed  upon  the 
times  in  which  he  lived.  From  sixteen 
years  to  seventy  he  was  the  tireless  work- 


er, the  creator  of  new  things,  the  pioneer, 
and  no  American  builder  or  manufacturer 
has  a  prouder  record  to  his  credit. 

John  Roach  married,  in  1837,  Emmeline 
Johnson.  Two  of  his  sons  became  emi- 
nent in  the  world  of  big  afifairs,  Stephen 
W.,  of  the  Morgan  Iron  Works ;  and  John 
Baker,  his  father's  closest  business  associ- 
ate and  successor. 


ROACH,  John  B.  and  William  M., 

Of   Famous   Shipbuilding   Family. 

John  Baker  Roach  during  his  business 
career  was  almost  entirely  connected  with 
the  great  Chester  ship-building  plant,  and 
under  his  management  of  the  works  the 
city  of  Chester  enjoyed  its  period  of 
greatest  prosperity.  As  the  demand  for 
"Roach"  ships  became  greater,  the  works 
were  enlarged  and  four  thousand  men 
drawn  from  near  and  far  were  there  em- 
ployed at  high  wages.  After  the  assign- 
ment made  in  1885  the  business  was 
closed  up  for  a  time,  then  a  reorganization 
was  efifected,  and  in  1887  the  plant  again 
entered  upon  a  period  of  great  prosperity. 
John  B.  Roach  was  in  complete  charge  of 
the  Chester  plant,  and  in  all  the  years  of 
his  control  there  was  no  strikes  nor  seri- 
ous difficulty,  his  policy  of  dealing  with  his 
men  directly  and  of  listening  to  every  com- 
plaint of  legitimate  nature  having  the  to- 
be-expected  result  of  complete  harmony 
between  his  men  and  the  company.  He 
v/as  personally  familiar  with  the  details 
of  the  construction  of  every  vessel  laid 
down  in  the  yard,  and  few  men  in  any 
business  so  completely  grasped  the  mi- 
nutiae of  a  complicated  industry.  Every 
mechanic  in  the  yard  recognized  him  as 
a  critical  judge  of  his  work,  and  all  strove 
for  his  approval.  From  the  Roach  yard 
went  out  steamships,  steamboats,  ferry 
boats,  yachts,  and  sailing  vessels,  to  the 
value  of  many  millions  of  dollars.  While 
these  steamships  were  small  in  compari- 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


son  with  the  monsters  now  built,  they 
were  then  the  largest  and  finest.  At  the 
launching  of  the  "City  of  Peking"  but  one 
larger  vessel,  the  "Great  Eastern",  was 
afloat.  The  first  iron  sailing  ship  was 
built  at  the  Roach  yards,  and  to  their 
credit  stands  the  honor  as  well  of  building 
the  first  compound  engines  ever  erected 
in  this  country.  The  father  founded,  the 
son  developed,  and  forever  they  will  stand 
as  the  pioneer  and  foremost  builders  of 
their  day. 

John  Baker  Roach,  son  of  John  and 
Emmeline  (Johnson)  Roach,  was  born  in 
New  York  City,  December  7,  1839,  sec- 
ond in  a  family  of  seven  sons  and  two 
daughters,  and  died  in  Chester,  Pennsyl- 
vania, June  16,  1908.  He  was  well  edu- 
cated, finishing  his  studies  at  Ashland 
Collegiate  Institute  in  Greene  county. 
New  York.  He  did  not  at  once  associate 
with  his  father,  but  spent  some  time  on 
first  entering  the  business  world  in  a 
wholesale  cofifee  house.  He  then  entered 
his  father's  offices  in  New  York,  but  his 
health  did  not  stand  such  confining  work 
and  for  a  time  he  was  manager  of  a  large 
farm  owned  by  his  father  in  Dutchess 
county,  New  York.  There  he  regained 
good  health,  and  after  the  purchase  of 
the  Morgan  Iron  Works  in  1867  he  be- 
came a  partner  of  John  Roach  &  Son. 
When  the  Chester  shipyard  of  Reany, 
Son  &  Archbold  was  bought  in  1871,  the 
firm  reorganized  as  the  Delaware  River 
Iron  Ship-building  and  Engine  Works. 
John  Roach,  president,  John  B.  Roach, 
secretary,  the  latter  being  placed  in  charge 
of  the  Chester  works.  From  that  time 
until  the  final  decline  of  shipbuilding  on 
the  Delaware,  John  B.  Roach  was  the 
master  spirit.  John  Roach  rarely  visiting 
the  Chester  plant  oftener  than  once  a 
week.  The  great  forges,  foundries,  shops, 
and  yards  were  kept  running  at  full  speed, 
and  when  the  government  refused  accept- 
ance of  the  "Dolphin"  and  declared  the 


contracts  for  war  vessels  illegal,  forc- 
ing the  company  to  assign,  a  period  of 
greatest  prosperity  for  the  city  of  Chester 
was  suddenly  interrupted.  After  the  as- 
signment the  business  on  hand  was  closed 
up,  and  not  until  1887  was  the  company 
reorganized  and  the  plant  reopened  with 
John  B.  Roach  as  president  of  the  Dela- 
ware River  Works,  and  vice-president  of 
the  Morgan  Iron  Works  of  New  York 
City. 

Mr.  Roach  had  other  large  interests 
outside  those  of  the  shipbuilding  com- 
pany, and  was  a  director  of  the  Seaboard 
Steel  Casting  Company,  the  Chester  Na- 
tional Bank,  and  the  Cambridge  Trust 
Company.  He  held  membership  in  the 
Union  League,  of  Philadelphia,  the  En- 
gineers Club,  of  New  York,  the  Penn 
Club,  of  Chester,  and  of  other  associa- 
tions, commercial  and  scientific. 

John  B.  Roach  married,  in  1861,  Mary 
Caroline,  daughter  of  David  and  Gertrude 
Wallace,  of  Staatsburg,  New  York.  Of 
their  eleven  children  five  grew  to  adult 
years :  Sarah  E.,  married  Charles  E. 
Schuyler,  of  New  York,  and  died  in  1891 ; 
Emmeline  W^allace,  married,  in  1892,  Wil- 
liam C.  Sproul,  of  Chester ;  Mary  Garet- 
ta,  married  (first)  in  1892,  Dr.  Frederick 
Farwell  Long,  Jr.,  who  died  in  1906, 
(second)  in  December,  1912,  George 
Forbes,  a  lawyer  of  Baltimore ;  John, 
married,  in  1899,  Hortense  Moller,  of  Ho- 
boken,  New  Jersey,  and  resides  in  New 
York;  William  McPherson. 

William  AlcPherson,  youngest  son  of 
John  Baker  and  Mary  Caroline  (Wallace) 
Roach,  was  born  in  Chester,  Pennsylva- 
nia. December  23,  1877,  and  has  there 
ever  maintained  his  residence,  although  a 
great  deal  of  his  time  has  been  spent  in 
travel  beyond  the  confines  of  his  native 
land.  He  obtained  his  early  educational 
training  in  private  schools,  then  entered 
Pennsylvania  Military  College,  Chester, 
passing  thence  to  Columbia  University. 
201 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


where  he  entered  the  civil  engineering  de- 
partment, leaving  the  University  in  his 
junior  year.  He  has  since  that  time  de- 
voted himself  to  the  management  of  his 
own  private  estate  and  that  of  his  widow- 
ed mother.  He  is  a  Republican  in  politics, 
fond  of  travel  and  out-of-doors  recrea- 
tion, revers  the  memory  of  his  honored 
sires,  and  is  a  thoroughly  alive,  honor- 
able, and  upright  American  gentleman. 

He  married,  in  the  City  of  Mexico, 
April  25,  1906,  Julia  Josefina  Enriqueta 
Hidalgo  y  de  Vries,  daughter  of  Senator 
Don  Juan  Hidalgo.  They  were  the  parents 
of  a  son,  Juan  Federico  Farwell  Hidalgo 
Roach,  born  in  the  City  of  Mexico,  Febru- 
ary 2,  1907.  Mrs.  William  M.  Roach  died 
in  Mexico  City,  February  14,  1907,  and 
is  buried  there  in  Pantheon  Francais. 


SMITH,  William  D., 

Man  of  Affairs,  Fhilantliropist. 

In  the  zeal  and  energy  with  which 
he  supported  and  promoted  organized 
charity  and  practical  benevolence,  Wil- 
liam D.  Smith  had  no  superior  in  his  com- 
munity. As  one  of  Pennsylvania's  iron- 
masters he  acquired  large  business  in- 
terests, and  in  municipal  affairs  advocated 
a  high  standard  of  city  government,  and 
warmly  supported  every  movement  for 
civil,  moral  or  social  betterment. 

William  D.  Smith  was  born  at  Joanna 
Furnace,  Pennsylvania,  March  12,  1835, 
and  died  in  Reading,  Pennsylvania,  son 
of  Levi  B.  and  Emily  H.  Smith.  He 
was  educated  at  New  London  Academy, 
Chester  county,  Pennsylvania,  and  Willis- 
ton  Seminary,  Easthampton,  Massachu- 
setts, and  after  completing  his  studies  be- 
came associated  with  his  father  and 
brothers  in  the  operation  of  the  iron  fur- 
naces which  gave  name  to  the  village  of 
Joanna  Furnace.  He  continued  in  the 
iron  business  there  until  1865,  then  until 
1881,  most  of  this  period  in  partnership 


with  his  brother,  Horace  V.  Smith,  owned 
and  operated  Isabella  Furnace,  in  Chester 
county.  In  1885  the  works  there  were 
sold  to  Colonel  Joseph  D.  Potts,  and  in 
1887,  after  returning  from  a  tour  of 
Europe,  Mr.  Smith  located  in  Reading, 
that  city  being  his  home  until  his  death. 
He  was  a  successful  business  man  and 
was  always  prominent  in  the  public  serv- 
ice. In  1861  he  was  appointed  adjuster  in 
the  office  of  Dr.  Edward  Wallace,  naval 
office  in  the  United  States  customs  house 
in  Philadelphia,  serving  until  1865.  In 
June,  1863,  he  raised  and  commanded 
Company  D,  42nd  Regiment  Pennsylva- 
nia Volunteer  Militia,  a  part  of  the  force 
called  out  to  resist  Lee's  invasion  of 
Pennsylvania.  The  regiment  was  on  duty 
six  weeks,  and  during  the  latter  part  of 
that  period  Company  D  did  provost  duty 
at  Hagerstown,  Maryland.  From  1876  to 
1888  he  was  deputy  collector  and  auditor 
of  the  Philadelphia  customs  house,  serv- 
ing during  the  terms  of  Alexander  P.  Tut- 
ton  and  General  John  P.  Hartranft,  col- 
lectors of  the  port.  This  position,' involv- 
ing much  labor  and  responsibility,  he  fill- 
ed most  creditably,  as  he  did  all  positions 
he  was  called  upon  to  occupy.  After 
locating  in  Reading  he  became  interested 
in  several  important  enterprises  and  at 
his  death  was  a  director  of  the  Reading 
&  Temple  Railroad  Company,  the  Read- 
ing Trust  Company,  the  Reading  Gas 
Company,  and  from  1890  was  a  trustee  of 
the  Charles  Evans  Cemetery  Company. 

In  addition  to  the  care  of  the  private 
business  interests  of  himself  and  members 
of  his  family,  he  engaged  for  more  than 
twenty  years  in  a  career  of  great  use- 
fulness along  philanthropic  lines,  being 
prominently  connected  with  the  adminis- 
tration of  various  humane  and  charitable 
public  institutions,  to  all  of  which  he  gave 
liberally  of  his  means,  his  time  and  his 
personal  service.  From  1889  until  his 
death  he  served  as  president  of  the  board 


,  A&/^/-,„/^^  i 


ca/r  ^-^^-^"^^'t^y^ 


^  f    /f/^^4^   5:^^  ^A 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


of  trustees  of  Reading  Hospital.  The 
Home  for  Friendless  Children  was  found- 
ed in  1886  by  a  number  of  charitably  dis- 
posed citizens  of  Reading,  and  in  1888  its 
main  building  on  Centre  avenue,  north  of 
Spring  street,  was  erected.  As  chairman 
of  the  building  committee  Mr.  Smith 
supervised  its  construction,  and  later 
erected  at  his  own  expense  two  wings 
that  more  than  doubled  its  capacity.  To 
this  charity  he  devoted  a  great  deal  of  his 
time,  and  was  ever  careful  that  the  com- 
fort of  the  little  inmates  was  properly 
safeguarded.  He  served  on  the  board  of 
trustees  of  the  home,  which  by  its  charter 
was  under  the  administration  of  a  board 
of  woman  managers.  He  was  also  con- 
nected, either  as  a  member  or  official, 
with  the  Reading  Benevolent  Society, 
Hope  Rescue  Mission,  the  Humane  So- 
ciety, the  Associated  Charities,  and  the 
Society  for  the  Prevention  of  Tubercu- 
losis. He  was  for  many  years  a  trustee 
of  the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association, 
a  vestryman  of  Christ's  Protestant  Epis- 
copal Church  of  Reading,  one  of  the 
founders  and  a  leading  benefactor  of  the 
newly  organized  St.  Mary's  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church,  located  in  the  north- 
western section  of  Reading.  He  was  a 
Republican  in  politics,  but  took  no  part 
in  Reading  local  party  affairs.  He  was 
one  of  the  highly  esteemed  men  of  his 
day,  and  an  honor  to  the  State  that  gave 
him  birth. 


SMITH,  Levi  Heber, 

Civil  War  Veteran,  Ironmaater. 

Levi  Heber  Smith,  third  son  of  Levi  B. 
and  Emily  H.  (Badger)  Smith,  was  born 
October  18,  1837,  at  Joanna  Furnace, 
Berks  county,  Pennsylvania,  of  which 
establishment  his  father  had  been  for  a 
considerable  period  the  proprietor.  The 
sons  succeeded  the  father  in  the  manage- 


ment of  the  works,  and  were  all  thorough- 
ly trained  to  business  life.  In  1876  Levi 
Heber  Smith  became  by  purchase  of  the 
interests  of  his  brothers,  sole  owner  of  the 
extensive  Joanna  Estate,  and  conducted 
the  iron  manufacture  up  to  the  year  1905, 
when  the  works  were  abandoned. 

He  attended  in  his  youth  the  Williston 
Seminary  at  Easthampton,  Massachu- 
setts. He  entered  the  Union  army, 
August  16,  1862,  as  captain  of  Company 
A,  128th  Regiment  Pennsylvania  Volun- 
teers, enlisted  for  nine  months'  service, 
and  on  February  i,  1863,  was  promoted 
to  the  lieutenant-colonelcy  of  the  regi- 
ment. This  organization  participated  in 
the  battle  of  Antietam,  September  17, 
1862,  and  in  that  of  Chancellorsville,  May 
1-3,  1863,  at  which  latter  engagement 
Colonel  Smith  was  taken  prisoner,  being 
confined  for  a  time  in  Libby  Prison  and 
subsequently  exchanged. 

Colonel  Smith  was  of  a  genial  and 
sunny  disposition  and  had  a  wide  circle 
of  friends  among  all  classes.  An  eminent- 
ly domestic  man,  he  found  his  chief  pleas- 
ure in  his  home  and  family,  and  was  a 
model  husband  and  father.  Afflicted  dur- 
ing his  later  years  with  mortal  disease,  his 
end  came  suddenly  at  his  residence  at 
Joanna,  August  5.  1898,  in  his  sixty-first 
year. 

Colonel  Smith  married,  June  17,  1868, 
E.  Jennie  Grubb,  daughter  of  Clement  B. 
Grubb,  of  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania.  Chil- 
dren :  I.  Clement  Grubb,  born  March  8, 
1870,  died  March  11,  1910.  2.  Heber 
Levi,  born  July  10,  1873 ;  married,  June 
6,  1903,  Nelly  Oliver  Baer.  3.  Mary 
Grubb,  born  July  15,  1875.  4.  Daisy 
Emily,  born  August  19,  1878;  married, 
April  19,  1902,  William  Stewart  Morris. 
5.  Stanley  McDonald,  born  August  31, 
1883 ;  married,  November  12.  1914,  Caro- 
line Franklin.  6.  William  Howard,  bom 
July  12,  1886. 


PA— Vol  VI— 24 


2203 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


SELL,  John  S., 

Merchant,    Public    Oj£cial. 

The  Sell  family,  represented  in  the 
present  generation  by  John  S.  Sell,  of 
Greensburg,  Pennsylvania,  county  con- 
troller, and  cashier  of  the  Westmoreland 
Bank,  traces  his  ancestry  to  Jacob  Sell, 
a  descendant  of  a  family  that  came  to  this 
country  from  Switzerland.  He  was  a 
merchant  of  Gettysburg,  Pennsylvania, 
when  it  was  but  a  small  place,  and  he 
witnessed  its  steady  growth  during  his 
residence  there. 

Jacob  (2)  Sell,  son  of  Jacob  (i)  Sell, 
removed  to  Westmoreland  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, in  young  manhood,  and  pur- 
chased a  farm  one-half  mile  distant  from 
New  Stanton.  He  was  a  hatter  by  trade, 
and  a  Whig  in  politics.  He  married 
Peggy  Weible,  daughter  of  Stephen  Wei- 
ble,  who  was  a  farmer  of  Hempfield  town- 
ship. 

Jacob  (3)  Sell,  eldest  son  of  Jacob  (2) 
and  Peggy  (Weible)  Sell,  was  born  at 
Gettysburg,  Adams  county,  Pennsylva- 
nia. He  was  reared  on  a  farm,  attended 
the  New  Stanton  schools  for  several 
winters,  and  then  engaged  actively  in 
farming.  In  1831  he  purchased  a  farm  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty  acres  in  Hempfield 
township,  upon  which  he  spent  the  re- 
mainder of  his  days,  and  he  devoted  his 
entire  attention  to  agricultural  pursuits 
with  the  exception  of  the  two  years  which 
he  spent  at  shoemaking.  He  was  an  ac- 
tive member  of  the  Reformed  church  at 
New  Stanton  for  many  years,  and  a  Re- 
publican in  politics.  He  was  highly  re- 
respected  by  his  neighbors  and  acquaint- 
ances, and  was  always  active  in  commu- 
nity afifairs.  He  married  Polly  Carr, 
daughter  of  Arthur  Carr,  of  Greensburg, 
Pennsylvania.  She  was  a  member  of  the 
Evangelical  Lutheran  church.  Her  death 
occurred  in  1881.  Children:  John,  of 
whom    further ;     Eli,    of   whom    further ; 


Mary,  deceased ;  Uriah,  married  Cather- 
ine Baughman,  and  resides  upon  the  home 
farm. 

John  Sell,  eldest  son  of  Jacob  (3)  and 
Polly  (Carr)  Sell,  was  born  June  13,  1823. 
He  received  his  education  in  the  rural 
schools  of  his  native  township,  engaged 
in  farming  for  a  short  period  of  time,  and 
in  1847  opened  a  store  in  New  Stanton, 
which  he  conducted  successfully  until 
1888.  He  served  twenty-three  years  as 
postmaster  at  New  Stanton,  receiving  his 
first  commission  under  President  Tyler  in 
1843  ^^^  his  last  commission  under  Presi- 
dent Lincoln.  He  was  a  staunch  Repub- 
lican, and  an  active  member  of  the  Re- 
formed church,  of  which  he  was  an  elder 
for  over  twelve  years.  He  was  a  leading 
citizen  of  Hempfield  township,  had  ex- 
tended experience  in  various  kinds  of 
business,  and  although  an  unassuming 
man  was  prominent  in  church  and  civil 
afifairs.  He  married  (first)  Mary  Ann 
Evans,  daughter  of  Joshua  Evans,  of 
Hempfield  township.  She  died  twenty 
years  later,  but  left  no  children.  He  mar- 
ried (second)  September  7,  1873,  Melissa 
Brant,  daughter  of  Clark  Brant.  Children  : 
Laura  Grace,  Jacob  B.,  Mary  Melissa, 
John  Garfield. 

Eli  Sell,  second  son  of  Jacob  (3)  and 
Polly  (Carr)  Sell,  was  born  in  Hempfield 
township,  Westmoreland  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, April  21,  1831,  and  is  still  living 
at  the  advanced  age  of  eighty-three  years. 
He  was  reared  on  a  farm,  where  he  was 
carefully  trained  in  all  farming  opera- 
tions. He  attended  the  subscription 
schools  of  his  neighborhood,  and  upon  the 
completion  of  his  studies  devoted  his  time 
to  farming  in  Hempfield  township,  where 
he  is  the  owner  of  two  desirable  and  high- 
ly productive  farms.  He  also  owns  valu- 
able property  in  and  near  Greensburg,  and 
has  been  interested  in  the  general  mercan- 
tile business  for  many  years,  being  still 
actively  engaged  in  the  same  in  Greens- 


2204 


(^i-i^.      l^JU-^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


burg,  and  is  at  the  present  time  (191 5)  the 
oldest  active  merchant  in  Westmoreland 
county.  He  began  life  as  a  poor  boy,  and 
engaged  in  business  on  capital  that  he 
had  earned  from  hard  work,  industry  and 
frugality.  His  business  rapidly  expanded, 
and  by  fair  dealing,  prompt  and  reliable 
transactions,  he  won  a  liberal  patronage 
and  the  confidence  of  all  with  whom  he 
had  dealings.  He  and  his  family  are 
members  of  the  Second  Reformed  Church 
at  Greensburg,  and  he  is  a  Republican  in 
politics.  He  married,  September  9,  1856, 
Catherine  Byers,  daughter  of  Henry 
Byers,  a  prominent  farmer  of  Hempfield 
township.  Children :  John  S.,  of  whom 
further;  Jacob,  M.D.,  who  was  a  practic- 
ing physician  of  Greensburg,  died  in 
1901 ;  Alice  K.  (Mrs.  Major  Franklin 
Kemp),  living  with  her  husband  at  Ma- 
nilla. 

John  S.  Sell,  son  of  Eli  and  Catherine 
(Byers)  Sell,  was  born  in  Westmoreland 
county,  Pennsylvania,  July  30,  1857.  He 
was  educated  in  the  common  schools  of 
Hempfield  township,  Greensburg  Acade- 
my, Edinboro  State  Normal  School,  and 
Dufifs  Commercial  College  of  Pittsburgh. 
He  has  always  resided  under  the  parental 
roof,  and  cooperated  and  assisted  his 
father  in  his  farming  operations  and  in 
his  mercantile  business  until  191 1,  when 
he  was  elected  county  controller  of  West- 
moreland county,  in  which  capacity  he  is 
serving  at  the  present  time,  giving  entire 
satisfaction  to  all  concerned.  Particular- 
ly adapted  and  specially  qualified  for 
business  pursuits,  he  naturally  became 
efficient  and  popular  as  a  merchant,  and 
was  actively  identified  with  various  busi- 
ness enterprises  in  the  city  and  county  in 
which  he  resided.  He  has  also  been  iden- 
tified with  financial  institutions,  and  was 
elected  cashier  of  the  Westmoreland  Na- 
tional Bank.  He  has  taken  an  active  part 
in  charitable  institutions,  hospitals  and 
other  philanthropic  work,  also  in  educa- 


tional matters.  He  is  a  Republican  in 
politics,  and  has  held  the  office  of  mayor 
of  Greensburg  for  two  successive  terms. 
fie  is  a  member  of  Westmoreland  Lodge, 
No.  518,  Free  and  Accepted  Masons ;  Ura- 
nia Chapter,  No.  192,  Royal  Arch  Masons; 
Kedron  Commandery,  No.  18,  Knights 
Templar. 

Mr.  Sell  married  Kate  E.  Thomes, 
daughter  of  A.  B.  Thomes,  of  Greensburg, 
Pennsylvania.     No  children. 


STEIGERWALD,  Andrew  S., 

Accomplished  Dentist,  Mannfactnrer. 

Dentistry  is  a  most  important  branch 
of  medicine,  and  it  has  numbered  among 
its  followers  many  learned  scientists  and 
renowned  professional  men.  Success  as 
a  dentist  does  not  merely  imply  a  knowl- 
edge of  dental  surgery,  but  it  means  that 
one  must  necessarily  possess  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  human  anatomy  and  physi- 
ology ;  and  the  dentists  who  have  won  for 
themselves  fame  and  prosperity  have  in 
all  cases  been  those  who  have  mastered 
more  than  one  branch  of  the  healing  art. 
Andrew  S.  Steigerwald,  D.D.S.,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  biography,  was  one  of  these. 
Graduating  from  the  Philadelphia  Dental 
College  in  1883,  from  that  time  until  his 
death  he  devoted  all  his  energies  to  the 
practice  of  his  profession,  and,  having 
spent  two  years  in  the  study  of  medicine 
under  so  distinguished  a  preceptor  as  the 
late  Professor  James  E.  Garretson,  he  was 
eminently  qualified  to  be  placed  in  the 
front  rank  of  his  profession. 

Andrew  S.  Steigerwald  was  born  on  the 
9th  day  of  February,  1862,  in  Philadel- 
phia, and,  with  the  exception  of  a  brief 
interval  during  his  boyhood,  that  city  was 
his  lifetime  home.  His  father  was  Sebas- 
tian Steigerwald,  and  his  mother  Eliza- 
beth Steigerwald,  her  maiden  name  hav- 
ing been  Schantz.  His  grandparents  on 
his  maternal  side  emigrated  to  America 
•05 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


in  the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth 
century,  and  both  lived  to  a  very  old  age, 
having  passed  their  eightieth  year  at  the 
time  of  their  death.  In  1868,  when  Andrew- 
was  six  year  old,  his  parents  removed  to 
Medford,  New  Jersey,  where  he  received 
his  preliminary  training  in  the  public 
schools,  and  studied  under  the  tutelage  of 
Professor  Milton  Allen.  He  remained  in 
Medford  until  he  attained  his  fourteenth 
year,  when  he  returned  to  Philadelphia  to 
pursue  his  private  studies  and  complete 
his  education.  At  the  age  of  eighteen,  so 
industriously  did  he  apply  himself,  he  ma- 
triculated in  the  Philadelphia  Dental  Col- 
lege. Here  he  evidenced  marked  ability  and 
diligence  as  a  student,  and  gained  the  con- 
fidence and  esteem  both  of  his  fellow-col- 
legians and  instructors,  among  the  latter 
being  Professor  James  E.  Garretson,  then 
Dean  of  the  Philadelphia  Dental  College 
and  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Medico- 
Chirurgical  College.  Pie  was  famous  as 
a  scientist  and  writer,  and  by  his  kindly 
offices  did  much  to  encourage  and  assist 
the  subject  of  this  sketch.  When  young 
Steigerwald  graduated  from  the  Philadel- 
phia Dental  College  in  1883,  Professor 
Garretson,  recognizing  his  true  worth, 
prevailed  upon  him  to  pursue  his  studies 
still  further,  and  insisted  that  he  take  up 
the  course  of  medicine.  Knowing,  how- 
ever, that  the  young  man  had  not  the 
necessary  means  to  pay  for  his  tuition,  he 
offered  to  act  as  his  preceptor.  Doctor 
Steigerwald  embraced  this  excellent  op- 
portunity and  pursued  the  study  of  medi- 
cine until  own  professional  duties  and 
constantly  increasing  practice  prevented 
him  from  completing  the  entire  course. 
Though  not  a  graduate  in  medicine. 
Doctor  Steigerwald  became  well  versed 
in  the  healing  art,  ascribing  his  success  in 
a  great  measure  to  the  knowledge  gleaned 
from  the  study  of  it. 

Immediately  upon  graduating.  Doctor 
Steigerwald  entered  upon  the  practice  of 


dentistry,  and,  during  the  years  that  elap- 
sed since  his  entrance  upon  this  field,  by 
his  affable  personality,  uniform  courtesy, 
and  through  the  skillful  care  which  he  dis- 
played in  the  treatment  of  his  patients,  he 
secured  an  extensive  clientele,  embracing 
all  classes  of  people  and  numbering 
among  them  some  of  the  best  known 
families  in  the  Quaker  City.  Doctor 
Steigerwald  always  took  a  deep  interest 
in  the  improvement  and  advancement  of 
operative  and  prosthetic  dentistry,  and 
ever  since  he  first  entered  into  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession  made  it  his  endeavor 
to  accomplish  more  than  the  ordinary 
dentist.  His  improved  and  developed 
dental  instruments  have  been  on  exhi- 
bition at  the  Philadelphia  Bourse,  where 
they  elicited  much  favorable  comment, 
and  the  Doctor  exhibited  them  at  the 
Paris  Exposition  in  1900,  thereby  giving 
the  European  dentists  his  latest  ideas  on 
improved  dental  appliances. 

One  of  Doctor  Steigerwald's  chief  char- 
acteristics was  his  inborn  love  for  work. 
From  the  time  he  was  fourteen  years  of 
age  (his  parents  not  having  been  in  a 
position  to  support  him),  he  managed  his 
own  affairs  with  an  ability  and  economy 
that  augured  well  for  his  after  success. 
He  was  compelled  to  support  himself 
through  college,  and  accomplished  this 
feat  by  working  for  his  subsistence  dur- 
ing the  evenings,  and  studying  hard  and 
incessantly  at  all  times,  always  having  in 
view  the  goal  of  his  ambition — to  gradu- 
ate with  honors. 

In  1889  Doctor  Steigerwald  connected 
himself  with  the  Philadelphia  Prepared 
Chalk  and  Toilet  Company,  of  which 
manufacturing  concern  he  was  at  the  time 
of  his  death  the  sole  proprietor.  He  was 
offered  many  opportunities  to  interest 
himself  in  other  organizations,  but  this 
he  invariably  refused  to  do,  preferring  to 
devote  all  his  time  to  the  profession  of 
his  choice.  As  a  man  of  patriotic  in- 
:o6 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


stincts  and  a  citizen  of  Pennsylvania's 
foremost  city,  Doctor  Steigerwald  ex- 
hibited a  lively  interest  in  the  manage- 
ment of  its  municipal  afifairs,  and  especi- 
ally in  matters  educational.  In  1894  he 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  Sectional 
Scliool  Board  from  the  Sixteenth  Ward, 
which  hor.orary  post  he  held  at  his  death. 
He  also  took  an  active  interest  in  all  char- 
itable afifairs,  and,  as  officer  and  member 
of  several  charitable  organizations,  did 
much  to  improve  the  condition  of  the  de- 
serving poor  of  his  native  city. 

In  1885,  Doctor  Steigerwald  was  united 
in  marriage  to  Frances  Steinmetz,  and 
this  union  was  blessed  with  six  children, 
four  boys  and  two  girls,  all  living.  They 
are:  Clarence,  Reginia,  Leo,  Dorothy, 
Richard  and  Charles.  The  death  of  Doctor 
Steigerwald  occurred  on  December  17, 
1914,  and  his  loss  to  his  profession  and  to 
the  community  was  widely  deplored. 


HUSTEAD,  James  Miller, 

Civil  War  Veteran,  Man  of  Affairs. 

One  frequently  meets  with  men  who 
achieve  eminence  in  some  particular  pro- 
fession, line  of  industry,  or  commercial  or 
financial  business ;  but  we  do  not  often 
meet  a  man  who  is  equally  efficient  in 
several  of  these  directions.  This  is,  how- 
ever, the  case  with  James  Miller  Hustead, 
of  Uniontown,  Fayette  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania. 

This  family  is  generally  considered  to 
be  of  English  origin,  but  the  most  diligent 
investigation  of  English  records  fails  to 
find  a  plausible  explanation  of  the  mean- 
ing and  origin  of  the  name  either  in  Saxon 
or  Norman  etymology.  In  the  genealogy 
of  the  Husted  family,  compiled  by  Spen- 
cer P.  Mead,  LL.B.,  with  the  assistance 
of  the  Hon.  James  W.  Husted,  A.B., 
LL.B.,  of  the  New  York  bar,  Peekskill, 
New  York,  the  statement  is  made  that 
Robert   Husted,   the  immie-rant  ancestor 


of  the  family,  was  probably  horn  in  County 
Somerset,  England,  in  1596.  According 
to  another  authority,  Robert  Husted  was 
born  in  County  Dorset,  England,  in  1594, 
as  stated  below.  The  evidence  is  to  the 
effect  that  the  modern  name  of  Husted. 
variously  spelled  in  the  early  records  of 
New  England  as  Heusted,  Huested,  Hu- 
sted, Hustead,  is  an  Americanized  form 
of  the  Dutch  or  German  name  of  liustadl 
or  Hustedt,  or  Hustede.  This  name  under 
the  three  forms  here  given  is  known  in 
both  Germany  and  Holland,  and  August 
Friederich  Pott,  Professor  of  Etymology 
at  the  University  of  Halle,  Germany,  in 
his  volume  entitled  "Die  Personennamen 
insbesondere  Die  Familiennamen  und  ihre 
Entstehungsarten,"  thinks  the  name  is  a 
compound  probably  derived  from  the 
town  bearing  the  name  of  Husum,  an  old 
dative  form  in  Low  German  of  the  word 
Hansen,  meaning  houses  and  courtyards. 
Husum  is  a  seaport  town  of  Prussia, 
twenty-two  miles  by  rail  west  by  south 
of  Sleswick.  It  contains  a  fine  modern 
Gothic  church  and  an  ancient  castle.  An 
equally  plausible  theory  is  that  the  Dutch 
of  German  name  from  which  Husted  ap- 
pears to  be  derived  is  itself  derived  from 
Hust,  a  town  in  Holland,  which  has  given 
a  title  to  a  prominent  group  of  families  in 
France.  M.  Borel  d'Hauterise  in  his  "An- 
nuaire  de  la  Noblesse  de  France,"  says  in 
regard  to  this  title :  "The  title  of  Count 
d'Hust  borne  by  a  series  of  several  houses 
is  derived  from  Hust,  a  small  town  in 
Zealand,  in  the  Dutch  Netherlands,  some 
miles  north  of  Antwerp.  It  was  accorded 
by  diploma  of  the  Emperor  Rudolf  II., 
date  September  4,  1605,  to  George  de 
Basta,  his  councillor,  and  to  all  his  chil- 
dren and  legitimate  descendants  of  both 
sexes.  These  last  expressions  interpreted 
during  the  course  of  two  centuries  in  the 
widest  possible  sense,  have  conferred  the 
title  of  Comte  d'Hust  on  all  the  male  and 
female    posterity    of    George    de    Basta. 


2207 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Their  number  has  thus  tended  to  multi- 
ply with  great  rapidity." 

The  arms  of  the  Husted  family  would 
seem  to  be  similar  to  those  borne  by 
the  Housen  family  of  Swabia,  Prussia : 
D'argent  a  un  belier  rampant  de  sable 
accorne  d'or.  Crest :  Le  Belier,  issuant. 
In  English:  A  silver  ram  rampant  sable, 
colored  with  gold.    Crest :  A  ram,  issuant. 

Robert  Hustead,  born  in  County  Dor- 
set, England,  in  1594,  died  at  Stamford, 
Connecticut,  in  1652.  He  came  to  this 
country  with  his  wife  in  1635,  leaving 
England  by  way  of  Weymouth,  and  land- 
ing at  Boston,  Massachusetts.  He  spent 
the  first  winter  at  Mount  Wollaston,  now 
Braintree,  and  probably  went  from  there 
to  New  Haven.  He  finally  located  at 
Greenwich,  Connecticut,  where  he  was  re- 
siding in  1640,  when  he  witnessed  the 
Indian  deed  to  the  original  proprietors, 
Robert  Peaks  and  Daniel  Patrick.  In 
1642  he  was  residing  in  Stamford,  Con- 
necticut, and  it  was  there  that  his  death 
occurred.  He  left  a  will  in  which  he  men- 
tioned his  three  children.  He  married, 
in  England,  Elizabeth,  born  at  Frome, 
County  Dorset,  England,  in  1606,  daugh- 
ter of  Lawrence  and  Joane  (Smith)  Miller, 
of  County  Dorset,  England,  and  niece  of 
Sir  Robert  Miller,  Knight.  Joane  (Smith) 
Miller  was  the  daughter  and  sole  heiress 
of  Angell  Smith,  Gentleman,  of  Stratton, 
County  Dorset,  England.  Mrs.  Hustead 
died  in  1654  at  Stamford,  Connecticut, 
leaving  a  will  in  which  the  same  children 
are  mentioned  as  those  in  her  husband's 
will.  Children:  Angell,  of  whom  further ; 
Robert,  Ann. 

Angell,  eldest  son  of  Robert  and  Eliza- 
beth Hustead,  was  born  in  England,  1628- 
30,  died  at  Greenwich,  Connecticut,  in 
April,  1704.  He  came  to  this  country 
with  his  parents  when  he  was  about  five 
or  six  years  of  age,  and  was  reared  and 
educated  here.  He  was  one  of  the  origi- 
nal proprietors  of  Greenwich,  Connecti- 


cut, and  became  an  extensive  land  owner 
there.  '  He  took  a  prominent  part  in  the 
affairs  of  the  growing  community,  and 
occupied  several  public  offices.  He  is 
often  mentioned  in  its  records  and  always 
with  much  respect.  Thus  he  is  often  de- 
scribed as  "goodman,"  a  term  of  consid- 
erable note  in  those  early  times,  and  he 
was  also  given  the  prefix  "Mr."  He  mar- 
ried a  woman  whose  Christian  name  was 
Rebecca,  but  whose  maiden  surname  has 
apparently  not  been  preserved.  Children : 
Rebecca,  Jonathan,  David,  Joseph,  of 
whom  further ;  Angell,  Jr.,  Elizabeth, 
Moses,  John,  Samuel. 

Joseph,  son  of  Angell  Hustead,  was 
born  in  Greenwich,  Connecticut,  about 
1662.  He  married  Sarah,  maiden  name 
unknown.  Children :  David,  of  whom 
further;    Sarah,  Abigail,  Jonathan,  John. 

David,  son  of  Joseph  Hustead,  was 
born  in  Greenwich,  Connecticut,  about 
1625,  died  in  1776.  He  married,  May 
14,  1718,  Johanna  Brundage.  Children: 
David,  Hannah,  Joseph,  Sarah,  Elizabeth, 
Ruth,  John,  of  whom  further;  Caleb, 
Judah.  Lydia,  Abraham. 

John,  son  of  David  Hustead,  was  born 
in  Greenwich,  Connecticut,  November  23, 
1731.  He  removed  from  his  native  State 
to  New  York,  locating  in  Dutchess  county, 
where  he  spent  the  remainder  of  his  days. 
He  married  ,  maiden  name  un- 
known. Children  :  Robert,  of  whom  fur- 
ther; John,  Moses,  Gilbert,  daughter, 
married  John  Chadwick. 

Robert  Hustead,  son  of  John  Hustead, 
was  born  on  the  Highlands,  Dutchess 
county.  New  York,  March  7,  1755,  died  in 
Fayette  county,  Pennsylvania,  June  26, 
1838.  He  served  in  the  Revolutionary 
War  under  Captain  James  Booth  and  also 
under  Captain  Zadock  Springer.  After 
the  war  he  settled  in  Nicholson  township, 
Fayette  county,  Pennsylvania,  where  he 
purchased  land  and  followed  his  trade  of 
cooper;    he  was  also  a  manufacturer  of 


2208 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


tobacco.  He  was  a  man  of  substance  and 
occupied  a  leading  position  in  the  town- 
ship. He  was  a  member  of  the  Baptist 
church,  and  a  Democrat  in  politics.  He 
married,  in  Fayette  county,  Pennsylvania, 
June  4,  1781,  Sarah  McDonald,  born  May 
10,  1765,  died  in  Fayette  county,  in  1842. 
Children:  John,  of  whom  further;  Alex- 
ander, David,  Lydia. 

John,  son  of  Robert  Hustead,  was  born 
in  Fayette  county,  Pennsylvania,  Febru- 
ary 19,  1782,  died  October  23,  1846.  He 
was  reared  and  educated  in  his  native 
township,  and  followed  the  occupation  of 
farming  throughout  the  active  years  of 
his  life.  He  established  his  family  home 
in  Georges  township,  Fayette  county, 
where  he  was  highly  regarded  as  a  man 
and  citizen.  He  was  a  member  of  the 
Baptist  church,  and  a  Democrat  in  poli- 
tics, thus  following  in  his  father's  foot- 
steps. He  married  Jane  Miller,  born  June 
5,  1787,  died  1870,  of  Welsh  and  Scotch 
parentage.  Children  :  Robert,  born  April 
4,  1806;  David,  February  19,  1808;  Alex- 
ander, October  17,  1810,  died  August  6, 
1863  ;  Belinda,  July  19,  181 1 ;  Sarah,  Janu- 
ary 28,  1815;  Mary,  July  5,  1817;  Moses, 
August  16,  1820;  Lydia  Jane,  January  2;^, 
1822,  died  February  15,  1822;  James 
Miller,  of  whom  further. 

James  Miller  Hustead,  youngest  son  of 
John  (2)  Hustead,  was  born  near  Smith- 
field,  Georges  township,  Fayette  county, 
Pennsylvania,  September  18,  1827.  He 
was  educated  in  the  township  schools, 
principally  under  the  instruction  of  Pro- 
fessor John  G.  Hertig.  Upon  the  death 
of  his  father  in  1846,  James  M.,  being  then 
nineteen  years  of  age,  rented  the  home 
farm  from  his  mother  and  this  he  success- 
fully conducted  until  1857,  when  he  be- 
came manager  of  an  iron  and  hardware 
store  at  Morgantown,  West  Virginia, 
owned  by  John  Oliphant  &  Company,  re- 
maining there  two  years.  He  proved  a 
capable   and   efficient   business   man   and 


won  and  retained  the  entire  confidence  of 
his  firm.  Oliphant  &  Company  were  the 
owners  of  an  iron  manufacturing  plant  in 
Fayette  county,  Pennsylvania,  called  Oli- 
phant Furance,  and  there  Mr.  Hustead 
was  sent  as  storekeeper,  later  becoming 
bookkeeper  and  manager.  He  remained 
until  the  Civil  War  broke  out,  when  he 
answered  the  call  for  volunteers,  enlisting 
September  2,  1862,  in  Captain  Duncan's 
company,  of  which  he  was  elected  second 
lieutenant.  This  company  was  mustered 
in  as  Company  E,  Fourteenth  Regiment 
Pennsylvania  Volunteer  Cavalry,  Colo- 
nel Schoonmaker,  and  attached  to  General 
Averill's  corps,  Army  of  the  Potomac. 
He  served  with  distinction  until  March 
29,  1865,  when  he  was  honorably  dis- 
charged and  mustered  out.  He  saw  hard 
service  riding  and  fighting  with  General 
Sheridan  in  the  Valley  campaign  and 
others. 

He  then  returned  to  his  Fayette  county 
farm,  where  he  remained  until  1867.  He 
then  again  entered  business  life,  forming 
a  partnership  with  J.  C.  Beeson,  his 
brother-in-law,  and  established  at  Fair- 
mont, West  Virginia,  a  general  hardware, 
iron  and  casting  business,  also  dealing  in 
live  stock  and  wool.  This  business  con- 
tinued successfully  for  six  years  when 
Mr.  Hustead  sold  out  and  returned  to 
Fayette  county.  In  1873  he  became  man- 
ager of  a  general  store  at  Dunbar  Fur- 
nace, purchasing  the  business  in  1876,  and 
in  1890  he  admitted  Isaac  W.  Seamans  as 
a  partner.  Two  years  prior  to  this,  in 
1888,  the  firm  of  Hustead,  Seamans  & 
Company  had  been  formed  and  a  general 
and  dry  goods  business  established  on 
East  Main  street,  Uniontown.  Mr.  Hu- 
stead is  the  owner  of  farm  and  coal  lands 
in  Pennsylvania  and  West  Virginia,  and 
is  an  associate  in  coal  and  coke  produc- 
tions in  Fayette  county  and  West  Vir- 
ginia, being  a  director  of  several  com- 
panies.    He  has  also  extensive  banking 


2209 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


interests,  being  associated  as  a  director 
with  the  First  National  Bank  of  Union- 
town,  the  "honor"  bank  of  the  United 
States,  and  interested  in  the  Union  Na- 
tional Bank,  of  Clarksburg,  West  Vir- 
ginia, Federal  National  Bank  of  Pitts- 
burgh, Pennsylvania,  and  the  First  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Fairmont,  West  Virginia. 
In  religious  faith  he  is  an  Episcopalian, 
serving  as  vestryman,  and  in  politics  is  a 
Democrat,  but  has  never  accepted  public 
ofHce.  This  brief  resume  of  Mr.  Hu- 
stead's  many  spheres  of  activity  proves 
the  broadness  of  his  mental  vision,  and 
whether  considered  as  employee,  employ- 
er, merchant,  soldier,  churchman  or  offici- 
al business  associate,  he  has  always  been 
found  true  to  himself  and  true  to  his 
fellows. 

Mr.  Hustead  married,  at  Uniontown, 
Pennsylvania,  November  4,  1874,  Anna 
Belle,  born  in  Greene  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, December  2,  1853,  daughter  of 
Henry  and  Eleanor  Jane  (McClelland) 
Willard,  the  former  of  whom  is  deceased. 
Children:  i.  Albert  Miller,  born  May  20, 
1876;  educated  at  Virginia  Military  Insti- 
tute, and  LaFayette  College,  Easton, 
Pennsylvania;  married  Odile  de  SauUes. 
2.  James  Edgar,  born  November  6,  1880; 
educated  at  Lawrenceville  School,  class  of 
1899,  and  Princeton  University,  graduat- 
ing in  class  of  1903.  Married,  November 
14,  1907,  Helen  Watt  Henderson;  child, 
Jean  Hope,  born  February  26,  1910.  3. 
Walter  Hugh,  born  June  18,  1884;  edu- 
cated at  Cheltenham  Military  School  and 
Lawrenceville  school.  New  Jersey;  is 
superintendent  of  Hope  Coke  Works. 


FEIT  FAMILY, 

Prominent  in  Easton. 

The  Feit  family  of  New  Jersey  is  of 
French  origin,  its  founder,  Jean  (John) 
Feit,  having  been  born  in  the  little  village 
of  Deux  Ponts  (English,  Two  Bridges), 


in  the  Rhenish  province  of  Alsace-Lor- 
raine, March  16,  1714.  He  died  in  New 
Jersey,  April  19,  1790.  Emigrating  to 
America  in  1730,  he  settled  in  1749  on  a 
tract  of  seven  hundred  acres  of  land  in 
what  is  now  Greenwich  township,  Warren 
county.  New  Jersey,  of  which  the  greater 
part  is  still  in  the  possession  of  his  de- 
scendants. He  married  Maria  Bender, 
who  was  born  November  26,  1715,  and 
died  September  29,  1790.  She  was  prob- 
ably his  second  wife  and  a  widow  when 
she  married  him,  as  John  Feit  in  his  will 
dated  April  27,  1789,  and  proved  May 
17,  1790,  names  his  stepdaughter  Mary, 
daughter  of  Jacob  Minier.  Children : 
Magdalena,  born  July  4,  1742;  Daniel,  re- 
ferred to  below ;  Catharine,  born  Decem- 
ber 24,  1750;  John,  September  8,  1756; 
Elizabeth,  March  4,  1758.  Magdalena, 
John  and  Elizabeth  probably  died  young 
or  unmarried  before  1789,  as  their  father 
mentions  only  Daniel  and  Catharine  in 
his  will  and  calls  the  former  "my  only 
son". 

(II)  Daniel,  son  of  Jean  (John)  Feit, 
was  born  in  that  part  of  Morris  county 
which  is  now  Warren  county,  New  Jersey, 
January  22,  1745,  and  died  between  1803 
and  1828.  He  married,  March  6,  1770, 
Mary  Kuhl.  Children:  Rebecca,  born 
January  17,  1774;  John,  December  8, 
1777;  Elizabeth,  February  16,  1780;  Paul, 
referred  to  below ;  Anna,  born  July  8, 
1785;  Daniel.  October  17,  1787. 

(III)  Paul,  son  of  John  and  Mary 
(Kuhl)  Feit,  was  born  in  what  was  then 
Sussex  county,  New  Jersey,  September  4, 
1782.  He  married  Catharine  Oberly.  Chil- 
dren :  William,  referred  to  below ;  An- 
thony, born  August  8,  1813,  died  May  8, 
1843,  married  Julia  Boyer;  Daniel,  born 
September  z'j,  1815,  died  February  20, 
1894,  daughter,  twin  with  Daniel,  died  in 
infancy ;  John,  referred  to  below. 

(IV)  William,  son  of  Paul  and  Catha- 
rine  (Oberly)   Feit,  was  born  in  Green- 

!IO 


^>— 


y?ay      V_v:,e^^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


wich  township,  Sussex  county,  New 
Jersey,  August  5,  1809,  and  died  in  the 
same  place,  now  Lopatcong  township, 
Warren  county,  New  Jersey,  February  i, 
1875.  He  purchased  from  his  father  two 
hundred  acres  of  the  tract  of  land  origi- 
nally bought  by  his  great-grandfather,  in 
1749,  and  became  a  man  of  much  prom- 
inence in  the  community.  In  his  father's 
time  the  Lutheran  congregation  of  the 
neighborhood  had  been  holding  services 
in  the  old  log  house  built  by  Jean  Feit, 
the  emigrant.  Later,  principally  through 
means  furnished  by  Paul  Feit,  the  first 
church,  now  known  as  the  "Old  Straw 
Church,"  was  built,  and  after  Paul  Feit's 
death  his  son  William  became  one  of  the 
most  prominent  and  influential  members 
of  the  congregation.  He  was  a  Whig  and 
a  Republican  in  politics,  served  in  several 
of  the  township  offices,  and  in  the  State 
Legislature  in  1858-59.  At  the  time  of 
his  death  he  was  president  of  the  Phillips- 
burg  Savings  Bank.  He  married,  March 
6,  1834,  Eleanor,  daughter  of  Joseph  J. 
and  Catharine  (Butz)  Jones,  who  was 
born  near  Bethlehem,  Pennsylvania.  April 
3,  1815,  and  died  February  11,  1889.  Chil- 
dren: Joseph,  born  January  21,  1835,  died 
April  12,  1880,  unmarried;  John,  born 
February  13,  1836,  died  July  19,  1903, 
married  Mary  A.,  daughter  of  Dr.  Wil- 
liam Shipman ;  Mary  C,  born  September 
19,  1838,  living  at  Pine  Grove,  Pennsyl- 
vania; Sarah  A.,  born  January  20,  1841, 
died  February  8,  1907 ;  Paul  W.,  referred 
to  below ;  Eleanor  H.,  born  February  5, 
1845;  Henrietta  C,  born  December  5, 
1847;  George  I.,  born  August  20,  1850, 
married  Edith  Roseberry ;  Alice,  born 
April  16,  1853. 

(V)  Paul  W.,  son  of  William  and  Elea- 
nor (Jones)  Feit,  was  born  on  the  old 
homestead  in  the  house  built  by  his  father 
in  1836,  and  is  now  living  there  with  his 
sisters,  Eleanor  H. ;  Henrietta  C,  and 
Alice  R.  Feit.     He  has  been  a  gentleman 


farmer  all  his  life,  and  although  he  has  a 
fanner  on  the  place  one  of  his  greatest 
pleasures  is  to  do  actual  work  himself, 
and  he  is  often  to  be  found  in  the  fields 
or  barnyard.  Mr.  Feit  is  a  very  reserved 
man,  a  constant  reader  and  he  has  spent 
a  great  deal  of  time  travelling  through 
the  west  and  in  other  places.  He  is  a 
trustee  of  St.  James'  Lutheran  Church 
and  he  is  considered  one  of  the  most 
generous  and  liberal  minded  men  in  War- 
ren county. 

(IV)  John,  son  of  Paul  and  Catharine 
(Oberly)  Feit,  was  born  in  Greenwich 
township,  Sussex  county.  New  Jersey, 
May  28,  1818,  and  died  there,  March  3, 
1892.  He  spent  his  whole  life  on  the 
homestead,  living  for  the  greater  part  of 
it  in  the  old  stone  house,  but  in  his  later 
years  he  built  himself  a  frame  house  near 
by  and  turned  the  homestead  over  to  his 
son,  Jacob  A.  Feit.  He  is  said  to  have 
been  of  a  reserved  disposition  and  to  have 
found  his  greatest  pleasures  in  his  home 
and  family.  He  was  a  trustee  of  the  St. 
James'  Lutheran  Church,  for  over  fifty 
years  and  was  noted  for  his  devout  and 
practical  Christian  character.  Among 
other  things,  he  and  his  brother  Daniel 
had  the  remains  of  all  the  family  gathered 
from  their  original  burial  places  and  rein- 
terred  in  St.  James'  churchyard,  in  order 
that  they  might  be  more  reverently  cared 
for.  Towards  the  end  of  his  life  Mr.  Feit 
purchased  as  a  home  for  his  wife  and 
daughters,  the  beautiful  residence  at  109 
North  Second  street,  Easton,  Pennsylva- 
nia, in  which  his  daughters  are  now  liv- 
ing. He  married  Anna,  daughter  of  Jacob 
and  Elizabeth  (Hubler)  Baker,  who  was 
born  July  12,  1815,  and  died  March  29, 
1896.  Children:  Matilda,  born  October  i, 
1845,  died  December  12,  1850;  Jacob 
Alfred,  born  July  17,  1847,  died  April  20, 
1906;  Emma  Catharine,  bom  September 
30,  1848,  died  February  3,  1895,  married 
Henry  D.  Richards ;  Susan  Amanda,  bom 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


November  13,  1851 ;  Anna  Sophia,  re- 
ferred to  below;  John  William,  born  No- 
vember II,  1857,  died  February  5,  1862. 

(V)  Anna  Sophia,  daughter  of  John 
and  Anna  (Baker)  Feit,  was  born  on  the 
old  homestead,  February  5,  1854,  and  is 
now  living  with  her  sister  Susan  Amanda, 
in  the  home  bought  for  them  by  her  father 
in  Easton,  Pennsylvania,  whither  they 
went  to  live,  June  10,  1897,  after  their 
mother's  death.  From  their  childhood  the 
two  sisters  were  always  devoted  and  en- 
thusiastic workers  for  St.  James'  Luther- 
an Church,  being  especially  interested  in 
the  Sunday  school,  in  which  they  both 
taught  classes  for  many  years.  Even  now 
that  they  have  moved  away  and  have 
identified  themselves  with  St.  Paul's 
Church  in  Easton,  their  interest  in  the 
old  home  church  is  still  shown  by  their 
keeping  up  the  financial  aid  they  had 
before  given  to  St.  James'.  They  have 
spent  much  of  their  time  traveling,  and 
they  have  gathered  many  beautiful  and 
unique  souvenirs  which  decorate  their 
Easton  home.  They  are  also  the  possess- 
ors of  a  large  number  of  family  papers  of 
historic  value,  which  they  prize  very  high- 
ly. Among  these  is  the  deed  for  the  origi- 
nal grant  to  their  ancestor,  Jean  Feit. 


FRANKS,  Frederick  B., 

Iteading  Manufacturer. 

It  is  not  necessary  for  the  man  who 
achieves  success  in  life  to  be  made  of 
sterner  stuff  than  his  fellow  man,  but 
there  are  certain  indispensable  character- 
istics that  contribute  to  the  prosperity  of 
the  individual,  and  these  are  engery,  en- 
terprise, determination,  and  above  all,  the 
ability  to  recognize  and  improve  opportu- 
nities. These  qualities  are  cardinal  ele- 
ments in  the  character  of  Frederick  B. 
Franks,  of  Bath,  Pennsylvania,  promi- 
nently identified  with  the  industrial  and 


financial  interests  of  the  State,  and  they 
have  accompanied  him  in  his  progress  to 
eminence  and  afHuence. 

His  parents,  John  George  and  Louise 
(Fischer)  Franks,  came  to  America  from 
Germany  many  years  ago,  the  voyage  be- 
ing made  in  a  sailing  vessel,  and  taking 
fifty  days.  Upon  their  arrival  in  this 
country  they  settled  in  Philadelphia.  For 
a  number  of  generations  the  Franks  have 
been  wagon  builders  in  Germany,  and 
several  branches  of  the  family  are  still 
engaged  in  that  industry  there,  and  also 
were  in  Philadelphia. 

Frederick  B.  Franks  was  born  in  Phil- 
adelphia, December  31,  1869.  He  was 
educated  in  the  public  schools  of  that 
city,  and,  while  he  received  no  special 
technical  training,  his  apprenticeship  and 
his  practical  experience  in  mechanical 
engineering  brought  him  in  consultation 
with  the  best  known  engineers  of  the 
East,  who  at  once  through  his  fitness, 
sought  his  membership  in  the  American 
Society  of  Mechanical  Engineers,  where 
he  was  admitted  in  1904. 

In  1898  he  afiiliated  himself  with  the 
firm  of  William  Krause  &  Sons,  who  were 
in  the  granolithic  business,  who  had  the 
exclusive  patents  for  laying  cement  side- 
walks in  the  United  States.  In  1899  he 
was  the  promoter,  designed  and  erected 
the  plant  of  William  Krause  &  Sons 
Cement  Company,  at  Martin's  Creek, 
Pennsylvania,  a  short  distance  from 
where  Brainard  made  his  first  speech  to 
the  Indians  in  1744.  After  operating  this 
plant  for  a  period  of  five  years,  he  with 
the  other  stockholders  sold  their  interests 
to  the  Alpha  Portland  Cement  Company. 
This  was  one  of  the  first  cement  mills  in 
this  locality.  The  geological  examinations 
and  tests  of  the  material  were  made  by 
him.  These  deposits  are  recognized  in 
the  cement  industry  as  being  superior  to 
any  in  the  United  States,  being  an  inex- 


C^^^^^^^:^-^^^^"'^^^;?^-^--^''^^^ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


haustible  supply  of  all  kinds  of  material 
for  the  manufacture  of  Portland  cement. 

In  1904  Mr.  Franks  traveled  all  over 
the  country,  making  a  special  study  of 
deposits  and  conditions  in  Kansas,  North 
and  South  Dakota,  Missouri,  Indiana  and 
the  southeastern  States,  in  an  attempt  to 
locate  materials  and  favorable  conditions 
for  another  cement  mill.  Unsuccessful 
in  this  search  he  returned  to  Pennsyl- 
vania, where  he  located  an  inexhaustible 
supply  of  the  necessary  materials  for  the 
manufacture  of  Portland  cement,  about 
two  miles  southwest  of  the  town  of  Bath, 
Pennsylvania,  where  he  organized  and 
erected  the  Bath  Portland  Cement  Com- 
pany in  the  fall  of  that  year.  This  plant 
is  considered  one  of  the  most  modern  in 
this  section,  and  cost  over  one  million 
dollars.  Mr.  Franks  has  confined  his 
efforts  to  the  manufacturing  end,  and  is 
the  manager  of  the  plant.  He  is  also 
president  of  the  Nazareth  Brick  Company 
of  Georgetown,  Pennsylvania. 

Mr.  Franks  married  April  4,  1893, 
Florence,  daughter  of  James  Gish,  who 
was  born  in  Wilmington,  Delaware ;  his 
ancestors  coming  from  Holland  many 
years  ago,  and  settled  in  Lancaster,  Penn- 
syvania,  where  the  family  is  a  prominent 
one.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Franks  have  one  son ; 
Frederick  B.  Franks,  Jr.,  who  was  born 
November,  1899.  He  is  a  sturdy  youth  of 
much  promise.  After  a  military  training 
he  graduated  from  the  Nazareth  Military 
Academy  in  1914.  At  the  present  time 
he  is  a  student  at  the  Mercersburg  Aca- 
demy, where  he  is  being  trained  for  a 
college    education. 

Mr.  Franks  employs  a  large  number  of 
men,  and  his  fair  treatment  of  them  has 
won  their  confidence  and  respect.  His 
wealth  has  been  worthily  achieved,  and 
not  only  in  business  circles,  but  also  in 
all  the  relations  of  life,  he  commands  the 
esteem  of  all. 


PALMER,  Thomas  and  Andrew  L., 

Men   of    High    Character. 

Merchants  both  and  men  of  high  stand- 
ing, Thomas  Palmer,  now  gone  to  that 
"bourne  whence  no  traveler  returns",  and 
his  son,  Andrew  Linwood  Palmer,  still 
in  active  business  life,  represent  the  sixth 
and  seventh  generations  of  a  famly  seated 
in  Delaware  county  since  1G88,  the  origi- 
nal home  in  Concord  township  then  being 
in  Chester  county.  The  founder  of  the 
family,  John  Palmer,  was  a  Friend,  and 
the  two  succeeding  generations  were 
members  of  Concord  Monthly  Meeting, 
were  married  in  that  meeting,  and  left 
their  children  birthright  membership. 
The  faith  of  the  fathers  was  then  laid 
aside  for  membership  in  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  communion,  although  Thomas 
Palmer  married  a  Friend,  and  his  son, 
Andrew  L.,  has  a  deep  reverence  for  the 
faith  of  his  mother  and  his  ancestors. 

The  first  five  generations  of  Palmers 
were  landowners  and  farmers,  men  of 
substance  and  integrity,  ancient  lands  be- 
ing still  owned  in  the  family,  while  the 
sterling  qualities  of  the  early  generations 
are  a  common  heritage  possessed  in  a  full 
degree  by  those  of  the  twentieth  century. 
The  exact  date  of  the  coming  of  John 
Palmer  cannot  be  given,  but  in  1688  one 
hundred  acres  of  land  were  patented  to 
him  in  Concord  township.  This  farm  was 
inherited  by  his  son,  John  (2),  born  about 
1690,  died  May  5,  1771.  To  the  original 
farm  he  added  one  hundred  and  seventy 
acres  by  purchase,  these  acres  being  locat- 
ed in  the  western  part  of  the  township. 
There  he  resided  from  1748  until  his 
death.  He  married,  in  Concord  Month!}- 
Meeting  of  Friends,  June  9,  1714,  Martha, 
daughter  of  John  and  Elizabeth  Yearsley, 
who  came  from  Middlewich,  England,  in 
1700,  and  settled  in  Thornburg. 

The  old  farm  which  John  (i)   Palmer 

13 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


patented  in  1688  was  deeded  by  his  son, 
John  (2)  Palmer,  in  1748,  to  Moses  Pal- 
mer, son  of  John  (2)  and  Martha  (Year- 
sley)  Palmer,  the  consideration  being 
"natural  love  and  affection"  borne  Moses 
by  his  parents,  "as  well  as  for  his  better 
perferment  in  the  world."  This  Moses 
Palmer,  born  in  Concord  township,  May 
26,  1721,  died  June  20,  1783,  was  in  early 
life  a  cordwainer.  After  being  given  the 
home  farm  in  1748  he  cultivated  it  for  a 
few  years,  then  purchased  and  moved  to 
a  farm  adjoining  on  the  south.  He  mar- 
ried, in  Concord  Monthly  Meeting,  (first) 
Abigail  Newlins,  (second)  November  22, 
1752,  Abigail,  daughter  of  Joseph  and 
Mary  Sharp,  of  Chester  county,  and  the 
widow  of  William  Sharpless. 

By  his  second  wife  Moses  Palmer  had 
a  son  Aaron,  born  at  Angora,  Delaware 
county,  July  17,  1765,  who  died  March  10, 
1842.  He  forsook  the  Society  of  Friends 
and  became  an  Episcopalian  in  religious 
faith.  His  wife  was  Sarah,  daughter  of 
William  and  Jane  Wilton,  of  North  Caro- 
lina. He  v/as  a  farmer  all  his  life,  as  was 
his  son  Joseph,  born  at  Angora  in  1795. 

Joseph  Palmer  owned  lands  along  the 
Schuylkill  that  he  had  cultivated,  leaving 
them  to  his  children,  whose  descendants 
yet  possess  them.  Joseph  Palmer  was 
a  member  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
church.  He  married  his  cousin,  Mary 
Palmer,  and  died  in  West  Philadelphia. 
Joseph  and  Mary  Palmer  were  the  parents 
of  Thomas,  and  the  paternal  grandparents 
of  Andrew  Linwood  Palmer. 

Thomas  Palmer  was  born  at  Palmerton, 
Delaware  county,  February  23,  1827,  died 
at  Wallingford,  in  the  same  county.  May 
9,  1908.  He  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools,  and  spent  his  early  life  upon  the 
farm.  On  reaching  manhood  he  became 
a  merchant  of  Darby,  Pennsylvania,  but 
in  later  years  the  Palmer  love  of  the  soil 
possessed  him  and  he  retired  to  his  land 
in  Delaware  county,  there  spending  amid 


scenes  he  loved  the  last  twenty  years  of 
his  life.  He  was  thoroughly  independent 
in  his  poHtical  action,  supporting  men  and 
measures  honorable  and  just  as  his  con- 
science dictated.  He  was  an  attendant  of 
the  Episcopal  church,  guided  all  his  ac- 
tions by  the  laws  of  right,  and  lived  and 
died  a  man  of  honor  and  integrity.  His 
wife,  Mary  Rudolph  Dickinson,  was  a 
native  daughter  of  Delaware  county,  born 
at  Garrettford,  died  at  Wallingford,  the 
mother  of  eight  children. 

The  second  child  of  Thomas  and  Mary 
R.  (Dickinson)  Palmer  was  a  son,  An- 
drew Linwood  Palmer,  born  at  Darby, 
Pennsylvania,  August  17,  1859,  of  the 
seventh  American  generation.  With 
Thomas  Palmer  there  was  a  weakening 
in  the  affection  for  the  farm,  but  after  a 
mercantile  life  of  several  years  he  return- 
ed to  his  first  love.  With  Andrew  L., 
however,  the  divorce  is  complete,  and  he 
has  spent  his  life  since  youth  engaged 
in  mercantile  enterprises.  He  attended 
public  schools  of  Darby  and  Wallingford, 
there  acquiring  a  good  education,  broad- 
ened and  developed  in  the  great  school  of 
experience.  After  leaving  school  he  as- 
sisted his  father  in  cultivating  the  home 
farm,  remaining  at  home  until  the  year 
1889,  having  followed  a  farmer's  life  from 
1870.  His  entrance  into  mercantile  life 
was  with  his  brother  Walter,  the  seventh 
child  of  Thomas  Palmer.  The  brothers 
conducted  a  flourishing  hardware  store 
at  No.  621  Edgemont  avenue,  Chester, 
Pennsylvania,  from  1889  until  1895,  when 
the  firm  was  dissolved  by  the  death  of 
Walter  Palmer.  The  business  was  con- 
tinued by  Andrew  L.  Palmer,  who  ad- 
mitted to  partnership  W.  W.  Gayley,  and 
as  Palmer  &  Gayley  has  continued  very 
successfully  until  the  present  time.  He 
is  a  thoroughly  modern  business  man. 
conducts  his  business  on  the  fairest,  most 
honorable  principles,  and  has  won  the  un- 
varying respect  of  his  townsmen  and  at 
214 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


their  hands  has  received  many  public  ex- 
pressions of  the  confidence  they  repose  in 
his  ability  to  represent  them  in  the  local 
government. 

Like  his  honored  father,  he  wears  no 
party  collar,  but  is  thoroughly  independ- 
ent in  his  political  and  official  action.  He 
has  held  various  offices  in  the  city  govern- 
ment and  for  the  past  ten  years  has  repre- 
sented his  w^ard  in  Chester  as  committee- 
man. Thoroughly  free  and  untrammeled 
by  party  ties,  he  has  legislated  for  the 
good  of  all  the  people,  thereby  vastly  in- 
creasing his  power  for  good.  As  in  his 
political  opinions,  so  he  is  in  all  things, 
broadminded  and  liberal,  contributing 
generously  to  the  support  of  church  and 
all  good  causes.  Although  not  a  member 
of  any  church  he  is  very  partial  to  the 
Society  of  Friends,  his  mother's  religious 
faith. 

Outside  his  mercantile  concerns,  Mr. 
Palmer  has  real  estate  interests  as  a 
director  of  the  Chester  Real  Estate  Com- 
pany, is  president  of  the  Delaware  Build- 
ing and  Loan  Association,  and  is  one  of 
the  seven  owners  of  the  Home  Beneficiary 
Association  of  Pennsylvania,  the  Associa- 
tion offices  being  located  in  Philadelphia. 
His  fraternal  orders  are  the  Benevolent 
and  Protective  Order  of  Elks,  Chester 
Lodge  No.  488,  and  the  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America,  Chester  Camp. 

Mr.  Palmer  married  (first)  Susanna 
Broughton  Worrell,  born  in  Media,  Penn- 
sylvania, died  in  California  in  1900,  leav- 
ing a  son,  Arthur  Townend,  born  in 
Media,  November  17,  1894,  a  graduate  of 
Nazareth  Hall,  Nazareth,  Pennsylvania, 
class  of  1913.  He  married  (second)  June 
2,  1904,  at  Chester,  Annie  Rebecca, 
daughter  of  Stephen  Sidwell,  a  farmer  of 
Chester  county,  Pennsylvania,  now  de- 
ceased, and  his  wife,  Anne  Jane  Williams, 
who  survives  him,  residing  with  her 
daughter  in  Chester.  By  his  second  mar- 
riage there  were  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 

22 


Palmer:  Andrew  Linwood  (2),  born  July 
3,  1905 ;  Richard  Sidwell,  born  August 
23,  1906;  Thomas  Rudolph,  born  Febru- 
ary 9,  1909;  Ruth  Anna,  born  January  2, 
191 1.  The  family  resides  at  No.  300  West 
Ninth  street,  Chester. 


HUSSEY,  Curtis  G.,  M.D., 

Pioneer    in    Copper    and    Steel    Industrie*, 
Philanthropist. 

As  we  revert  in  memory  to  the  incep- 
tion of  the  Titanic  steel  industry,  one 
stately  figure  seems  to  dominate  the  field 
of  our  vision — that  of  Dr.  Curtis  Grubb 
Hussey,  chief  of  that  illustrious  group  of 
pioneers  who,  three-quarters  of  a  centur)- 
ago,  ushered  in  the  magnificent  era  which 
made  Pittsburgh  the  steel  city  of  the 
world.  Another  form,  also  of  noble  pro- 
portions, seems  to  stand  in  the  middle 
distance  between  that  remote  past  and 
the  present  time.  It  is  that  of  the  old 
hero's  son,  Christopher  Curtis  Hussey. 
The  names  of  both  these  captains  of  in- 
dustry have  long  since  passed  into  history, 
inscribed  high  on  the  list  of  those  whose 
memory  Pittsburgh  most  delights  to 
honor. 

The  Hussey  family  is  of  Norman  origin, 
the  earliest  form  of  the  name  having  been 
DeHosey.  In  1172  a  branch  was  planted 
in  Ireland,  in  the  counties  of  Dublin  and 
Meath,  then  held  by  Hugh  DeLacy.  In 
County  Meath  the  DeHoseys  were  made 
Barons  of  Galtrim,  and  they  also  held 
possessions  in  Ely  O'CarroU  and  the 
country  about  Birr,  in  the  present  Kings 
county  and  in  ancient  Thomond,  embrac- 
ing the  present  counties  of  Limerick  and 
Clare.  Branches  were  also  found  in  many 
counties  of  England,  notably  in  Surrey. 

Christopher  Hussey,  founder  of  the 
American  branch  of  the  family,  was  born 
about  1597,  in  Dorking,  Surrey,  England, 
and  in  1630  emigrated  to  the  province  of 
Massachusetts,  settling  first  in  Hampton. 
15 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


which  he  represented  for  several  years 
in  the  General  Assembly.  He  was  also 
counsellor  of  the  province,  and  assisted 
in  the  settlement  of  Haverhill.  Christo- 
pher Hussey  was  a  member  of  the  Society 
of  Friends,  and  in  association  with  others 
signed  a  protest  against  an  act  of  the 
General  Court  of  Massachusetts  which 
made  it  a  "misdemeanor  for  anyone  to 
preach  to  the  people  on  the  Sabbath  who 
was  not  a  regularly  ordained  minister  of 
the  church."  The  court,  in  consequence, 
threatened  severe  measures  to  all  con- 
cerned, and  many  of  the  offenders  made 
open  apology,  but  not  so  Christopher 
Hussey  and  those  of  equal  independence 
of  spirit,  not  even  when  in  1658  a  new 
and  stringent  law  was  passed  against 
them  and  several  were  executed.  He  was 
one  of  an  association  of  ten  who  had  pur- 
chased the  island  of  Nantucket,  and  when 
persecution  became  too  strong  for  them 
they  took  up  their  abode  there.  The  de- 
scendants of  Christopher  Hussey  became 
one  of  the  dominant  families  of  the  "sea- 
beat  island,"  and  many  of  them  are  still 
to  be  found  on  its  shores.  Christopher 
Hussey  married,  in  England,  Theodate 
Batchelder,  daughter  of  Reverend  Steph- 
en Batchelder,  and  among  their  children 
was  a  son  Stephen,  who  is  said  by  some 
to  have  been  the  first  of  the  Husseys  to 
settled  on  Nantucket.  The  Reverend 
Stephen  Batchelder  also  emigrated  to  the 
American  colonies.  Christopher  Hussey 
died  in  1686. 

Christopher  Hussey,  a  descendant  of 
the  emigrant,  about  the  beginning  of  the 
nineteenth  century  settled  near  York, 
Pennsylvania,  later  removing  to  Little 
Miami,  Ohio,  and  in  1813  took  up  his 
abode  on  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Mount 
Pleasant,  Jefiferson  county,  in  the  same 
State,  where  he  passed  the  remainder  of 
his  life.  Christopher  Hussey  married 
Lydia,  daughter  of  John  Grubb,  a  mem- 
ber   of    the    Society    of    Friends.      John 


Grubb  came  from  England  before  the 
Revolutionary  War,  settling  near  Wil- 
mington, Delaware,  where  many  of  his 
descendants  remain  to  the  present  day. 
Mr.  Hussey  himself  always  remained  a 
member  of  the  Society,  in  this  respect,  as 
well  as  in  his  upright  and  useful  life,  up- 
holding the  family  tradition. 

Dr.  Curtis  Grubb  Hussey,  son  of  Chris- 
topher and  Lydia  (Grubb)  Hussey,  was 
born  August  11,  1802,  in  York  county, 
Pennsylvania.  He  spent  his  boyhood  and 
youth  in  Ohio,  assisting  in  the  labors  of 
the  farm  and  making  the  most  of  the  edu- 
cational advantages  the  day  and  neigh- 
borhood afforded.  Choosing  to  devote 
himself  to  the  medical  profession  he  had 
the  good  fortune  to  be  able  to  study  with 
a  physician  of  prominence,  then  a  resident 
at  Mount  Pleasant,  and  after  completing 
his  course,  he  removed  to  Morgan  county, 
Indiana,  where  he  soon  secured  a  suc- 
cessful and  lucrative  practice.  It  was 
in  1825  that  he  estabhshed  himself  there, 
and  during  the  next  ten  years  he  gave 
close  attention  to  his  professional  duties, 
with  the  result  that  at  the  end  of  that 
time  he  found  he  had  accumulated  suf- 
ficient capital  for  embarking  in  mercantile 
pursuits,  for  which  he  possessed  great 
natural  aptitude.  Accordingly,  he  estab- 
lished in  adjoining  counties  various  stores 
over  which  he  exercised  a  general  super- 
vision as  he  made  the  round  of  his  profes- 
sional calls.  His  enterprises  prospered, 
and  he  became  a  heavy  shipper  of  produce 
to  New  Orleans. 

With  all  his  cares  and  duties,  Dr.  Hus- 
sey had  ever  at  heart  the  development 
and  prosperity  of  his  adopted  State,  and 
in  1829  he  was  elected  to  the  Legislature, 
serving  one  term  and  declining  a  re- 
election on  account  of  his  varied  business 
interests.  From  different  sources  came 
at  this  time  rumors  of  rich  beds  of  copper 
in  the  Lake  Superior  region,  but  no  effort 
was  made  to  explore  or  develop  them 
16 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


until  the  one  man  fitted  to  undertake  the 
work  turned  his  attention  in  that  direc- 
iton.  With  his  keen  vision,  Dr.  Hussey 
penetrated  the  mists  of  the  future  and 
discerned  the  magnificent  possibiHties  of 
of  an  industry  which  was  to  aid  in  shap- 
ing the  destinies  of  nations.  In  1843  he 
sent  Mr.  John  Hays,  of  Pittsburgh,  to 
prospect  and  explore.  During  his  trip 
Mr.  Hays  purchased  for  Dr.  Hussey  a 
one-sixth  interest  in  the  first  three  per- 
mits for  mining  in  that  region  ever  grant- 
ed by  the  United  States,  each  one  of 
which  was  three  miles  square.  In  the 
winter  of  1843-44  the  Pittsburgh  and 
Boston  Mining  Company  was  organized, 
Dr.  Hussey  being  a  large  stockholder 
and  subsequently  becoming  its  president. 
In  September,  1844.  he  visited  the  region 
of  the  mines,  and  so  rich  were  the 
veins  of  copper  found  on  Eagle  river  that 
operations  were  transferred  thither  from 
Copper  Harbor  and  "ClifT  Mine,"  the 
first  mine  opened  in  the  Lake  Superior 
country,  was  established,  becoming  his- 
torical for  its  remarkable  richness.  The 
product  was  found  in  huge  masses,  and 
the  question  arose,  "how  were  such 
masses  to  be  smelted?"  To  cut  them  up 
would  not  pay.  The  furnaces  of  Boston, 
Baltimore  and  Detroit  all  failed.  It  was 
a  dark  moment  for  Lake  Superior  copper, 
but  the  clouds  rolled  away,  dispersed  by 
the  power  of  the  luminous  intellect  of  Dr. 
Hussey.  He  caused  a  furnace  to  be  built 
with  a  movable  top  which  could  be  lifted 
to  one  side,  the  masses  of  copper  being 
hoisted  by  a  crane  and  let  down  into  their 
bed  upon  the  bottom.  The  experiment 
was  successful,  and  the  first  ingots  cast 
were  as  good  as  those  made  at  the  present 
day. 

The  only  market  for  the  copper  mined 
and  smelted  was  through  a  commission 
house  in  New  York.  This  was  not  satis- 
factory to  Dr.  Hussey,  and  in  1848  he 
conceived  the  idea  of  erecting  a  mill  for 


the  manufacture  of  sheet  copper  and 
brass.  For  a  long  time  he  failed  to  meet 
with  any  encouragement,  but  with  a  man 
of  his  type  obstacles  were  but  an  impetus 
to  renewed  endeavor.  Having  secured 
a  partner,  the  firm  of  C.  G.  Hussey  & 
Company  was  formed,  a  mill  erected,  and 
a  warehouse  opened  for  the  sale  of  its 
product.  The  man  who  was  the  origina- 
tor and  moving  spirit  of  the  enterprise  is 
thus  described  in  "A  History  of  American 
Manufacturers,"  by  J.  Leander  Bishop: 
"As  the  Pittsburgh  Copper  and  Brass 
Rolling  Mills  was  the  first  establishment 
projected  for  working  exclusively  Ameri- 
can copper,  and  as  the  senior  partner  was 
one  of  the  first  successful  explorers  and 
adventurers  in  the  copper  regions  of  Lake 
Superior,  his  history  is  that  of  a  pioneer 
in  the  development  of  what  has  become 
an  important  element  of  national  wealth." 
The  Pittsburgh  Copper  and  Brass  Roll- 
ing Mills  and  the  smelting  works  were 
erected  on  the  banks  of  the  Monongahela 
river,  and  are  still  among  the  most  active 
industries  of  Pittsburgh,  the  house  of  C. 
G.  Hussey  &  Company  having  continued 
the  business  without  interruption  since 
1848.  Eventually  Dr.  Hussey  became  the 
sole  owner  of  these  famous  works. 

To  this  remarkable  man  belongs  the 
credit  of  having  been  the  first  manufac- 
turer in  this  country  to  successfully  make 
crucible  cast  steel  in  large  quantities  and 
of  the  best  quality.  He  accomplished  this 
in  the  face  of  opposition,  discouragement 
and  prophecies  of  failure  even  from  his 
immediate  friends,  but  in  the  end  his  en- 
thusiastic determination  triumphed.  He 
began  in  1859  with  the  purchase  of  the 
old  steel  plant  of  Blair  &  Company,  de- 
veloping and  perfecting  what  is  known 
as  "the  direct  process,"  totally  difTerent 
from  the  English  and  all  other  known 
methods.  His  Anglo-Saxon  pluck  spurred 
him  on  to  renewed  eflforts,  and  after  the 
Hussey  steel  works  had  been  running  for 
>i7 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


two  or  three  years  it  was  discovered  that 
good  steel  could  be  made  and  was  being 
made  in  the  United  States !  In  1862  Dr. 
Hussey  made  a  trip  to  Europe,  visiting 
various  steel  works  in  England.  His 
reputation  had  preceded  him  and  in  that 
country  he  met  Mr.  Morgan,  of  the  house 
of  Peabody  &  Company,  who  solicited 
him  to  take  an  interest  in  the  Bessemer 
patent  for  America.  He  felt  that  the  pro- 
cess had  a  great  future,  but  foresaw  that 
its  development  would  involve  more  risk 
and  labor  than  he  cared  to  assume,  and 
therefore  declined  the  proposition.  Be- 
sides his  original  developments  Dr.  Hus- 
sey made  other  valuable  improvements  in 
the  manufacture  of  steel.  In  a  publica- 
tion of  that  period  appeared  the  follow- 
ing: "The  outcome  of  a  small  beginning 
and  that  to  which  it  has  led  is  best  shown 
by  a  visit  to  the  great  steel  works  founded 
by  Dr.  Hussey,  which  cover  over  five 
acres  of  Pittsburgh's  most  valuable  land, 
which  are  filled  with  massive  and  costly 
machinery,  which  employ  a  large  num- 
ber of  men,  which  send  their  products 
throughout  all  the  country,  and  which 
have  a  name  for  good  work  and  honorable 
dealing  that  is  excelled  by  none." 

The  efforts  and  interests  of  Dr.  Hussey 
were  not  confined  to  the  concerns  with 
which  he  was  originally  identified.  In  the 
development  of  Aztec,  Adventure,  North 
American,  Medora,  Mass,  Northwestern, 
National  and  other  copper  mines,  he  was 
a  leading  factor,  and  he  was  early  in 
securing  extensive  tracts  of  iron  lands  in 
the  Michigan  peninsula.  In  1849  his  ex- 
plorations were  among  the  first  in  Cali- 
fornia, and  gold,  silver  and  copper  in 
Georgia,  Colorado,  Utah,  New  Mexico, 
Arizona,  Nevada,  British  Columbia, 
Mexico  and  other  regions  received  his 
active  attention. 

In  whatever  might  conduce  to  the  pros- 
perity of  his  city  and  State,  Dr.  Hussey 
was  ever  earnest  and  untiring.     All  his 

221. 


life  he  ardently  advocated  a  protective 
tariff.  His  business  policy  after  removing 
to  Pittsburgh  was  characterized  by  the 
remarkable  feature  of  absolute  independ- 
ence. In  his  mining  and  manufacturing 
enterprises  and  in  his  investments  in 
property  he  never  borrowed  money  and 
it  was  his  custom  to  keep  large  cash  re- 
serves in  his  different  concerns.  Not 
alone,  however,  as  a  business  man  and 
manufacturer  did  he  advance  the  welfare 
of  Pittsburgh.  With  her  charitable,  be- 
nevolent and  educational  institutions  he 
was  always  prominently  connected.  In 
i860  he  took  an  active  part  in  founding 
the  Allegheny  Observatory  and  became 
its  first  president,  an  office  which  he  re- 
tained for  seven  years,  the  property  then 
being  consolidated  with  the  Western 
University,  now  the  University  of  Pitts- 
burgh, of  which  he  was  one  of  the 
trustees.  Dr.  Hussey  was  also  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  School  of  Design  for 
Women,  serving  for  several  years  as  its 
first  president.  He  liberally  aided  schools 
in  Tennessee,  North  Carolina  and  Indian 
Territory,  and  the  Hussey  School  for  Girls 
at  Matamoras,  Mexico,  was  built,  equipp- 
ed and  largely  supported  by  his  gener- 
osity. The  Wesleyan  College  for  Women 
at  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  Earlham  College, 
in  Indiana,  were  largely  indebted  to  him 
for  their  continuance  and  prosperity. 
Widely  but  unostentatiously  charitable, 
so  quietly  were  his  benefactions  bestowed 
that  their  full  number  were  known  to  few 
except  the'recipients.  His  political  affili- 
ations were  with  the  Republicans,  and  he 
belonged,  as  his  ancestors  had,  to  the  So- 
ciety of  Friends.  He  was  a  strong  anti- 
slavery  man  and  a  vigorous  advocate  of 
total  abstinence. 

All  the  enterprises  with  which  Dr.  Hus- 
sey was  connected  were  vitalized  by  the 
effect  of  his  dynamic  personality.  His 
business  capacity  was  of  the  highest  order, 
and  with  it  was  combined  a  remarkable 


Q__    2^  ,  C^^.^^tL>vx  q^c^x>0 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF   BIOGRAPHY 


faculty  for  divining  the  course  of  events. 
Had  his  lot  been  cast  in  Wall  street,  he 
would  have  been  one  of  its  kings.  His  as- 
sociates were  Abram  S.  Hewitt,  Daniel  J. 
Morrell,  John  Fritz,  Captain  Eber  B. 
Ward,  B.  F.  Jones  and  Andrew  Carnegie 
and  among  them  he  was  preeminent.  He 
was  a  good  speaker — clear,  forcible  and 
direct.  In  person  he  was  tall  and  of  most 
distinguished  appearance,  a  man  who 
would  be  remarked  in  any  assembly. 
His  eyes,  keen,  were  most  kindly  in  ex- 
pression, and  had  the  look  of  eyes  which 
read  the  future  and  that  see  what  is 
hidden  from  others.  In  disposition  he 
was  quiet  and  retiring,  taking  but  little 
part  in  social  life,  a  seclusion  which  was 
more  of  a  loss  to  others  than  himself,  as 
the  few  who  were  admitted  to  his  inti- 
macy could  abundantly  testify.  Many  of 
his  quiet  home  hours  were  given  to  the 
shaping  of  his  enterprises  and  many  to  the 
diligent  perusal  of  the  best  authors  with 
whose  choicest  treasures  his  retentive 
memory  was  richly  stored.  With  such  re- 
sources within  himself,  he  was  never  less 
alone  than  when  alone.  His  very  modesty 
and  diffidence  sometimes  gave  an  impres- 
sion of  austerity  which  a  closer  acquaint- 
ance never  failed  to  remove,  for  he  was 
invariably  afTable,  considerate  and  easily 
approached.  A  good  talker,  he  was  an 
equally  good  listener,  according  close  and 
courteous  attention  to  what  was  said  even 
by  the  humblest,  and  though  dignified  in 
his  demeanor  there  was  in  his  manner  no 
trace  of  hauteur.  In  looking  back  over 
a  long  and  laborious  business  career  of 
more  than  sixty  years,  he  could  truly  say 
that  while  he  had  benefited  many  he  had 
injured  none. 

Dr.  Hussey  married,  September  ig,  1839, 
Rebecca,  daughter  of  James  and  Susanna 
(Jackson)  UpdegraflF,  of  the  well  known 
Ohio  family  of  that  name.  Mr.  Upde- 
graflF was  one  of  the  pioneers  of  Jefferson 
county,  settling  at  Mount  Pleasant,  and 

PEM— Vol  VI— 25  22 


making  for  himself  a  home  in  what  was 
then  almost  a  forest  wilderness,  contribu- 
ing  greatly  by  his  energy  and  influence, 
especially  in  matters  educational,  toward 
the  growth  of  that  flourishing  town.  Dr. 
and  Mrs.  Hussey  were  the  parents  of  the 
following  children :  Christopher  Curtis, 
mentioned  elsewhere;  Anna  M.,  married 
Edward  Binns  and  is  now  deceased  ;  Mary 
L.,  married  Alex  Guthrie  and  is  also  de- 
ceased; James,  died  in  childhood;  and 
Emma  (now  deceased),  who  married  E. 
B.  Alsop.  Mrs.  Hussey,  a  woman  of 
much  elevation  and  loveliness  of  char- 
acter, and  more  than  ordinary  mental  at- 
tainments, was  to  her  husband,  through- 
out the  long  years  of  their  wedded  life, 
not  only  a  congenial  companion,  but  a 
trusted  confidante  and  adviser.  Dr.  Hus- 
sey was  devoted  to  his  home  and  family 
and  his  happiest  hours  were  passed  at  his 
own  fireside. 

On  April  25,  1893,  this  noble  and  gifted 
man  passed  away,  "full  of  years  and  of 
honors."  His  memory  is  immortal — per- 
petuated by  the  colossal  industry  which 
he  so  largely  helped  to  develop  and  by 
the  gratitude  of  his  fellow-citizens  in  all 
classes  of  the  community.  The  results 
of  Dr.  Hussey'  labors  are  literally  im- 
measurable. They  have  broadened  and 
deepened  the  industrial  life  not  of  a  city 
alone,  nor  even  of  a  state,  but  of  the 
nation.  Pittsburgh  claims  him,  but  she 
cannot  wholly  possess  him,  nor  can  Penn- 
sylvania say  that  he  is  hers  alone.  He 
belongs  to  his  country  and  to  humanity. 


CORRIGAN,  Charles  E., 

Pioneer  in  Electric  Aatomobiles. 

Charles  E.  Corrigan,  of  Pittsburgh,  vice 
president  and  a  director  of  the  National 
Metal  Moulding  Company,  is  one  of  the 
world's  pioneers — a  pioneer  in  connection 
with  that  greatest  and  most  mysterious 
of  nature's  forces, — electricity.  Mr.  Cor- 
19 


C/ 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


rigan  is  a  representative  of  a  very  ancient     was  president  and  general  manager  of  the 


Irish  family. 

James  Corrigan,  grandfather  of  Charles 
E.  Corrigan,  married  Bridget  Hughes,  like 
himself,  a  native  of  Ireland.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Corrigan  emigrated  to  the  United  States 
in  1834. 

John  Corrigan,  son  of  James  and  Brid- 
get (Hughes)  Corrigan,  was  born  June 
24,  1831,  in  County  Tyrone,  Ireland,  and 
came  with  his  parents  to  the  United 
States  at  the  age  of  three  years,  becoming 
a  dealer  in  live  stock  in  New  York  and 
Canada,  and  later  an  agriculturist.  He 
was  a  Democrat,  and  held  office  in  Lewis 
county.  New  York.  Mr.  Corrigan  mar- 
ried, February  19,  1857,  Charlotte,  daugh- 
ter of  James  and  Helen  Heffernan,  of 
Martinsburg,  New  York;  and  their  chil- 
dren were:  James,  deceased;  Charles  E., 
mentioned  below;  Gertrude,  of  Chicago; 
George,  also  of  Chicago ;  and  Vincent,  of 
Pittsburgh. 

Charles  E.  Corrigan,  son  of  John  and 
Charlotte  (Heffernan)  Corrigan,  was 
born  August  29,  1863,  in  Martinsburg, 
Lewis  county,  New  York,  and  received 
his  rudimentary  education  in  local  schools, 
passing  thence  to  the  Lowville  Academy, 
where  he  graduated  in  1883.  Immediate- 
ly thereafter  he  made  his  first  essay  in 
business  and  for  a  time  was  associated 
with  seedsmen  in  Minneapolis,  Minnesota. 
This  was  but  the  prelude  to  a  career  of 
international  reputation  and,  albeit  his  ex- 
pectations may  not  have  soared  quite  as 
high  as  the  reality,  this  was,  we  may  not 
doubt,  the  feeling  of  the  young  man  him- 
self. Disposing  of  his  interest  in  the  seed 
business,  he  became  a  pioneer  in  the  pro- 
duction of  electric  automobiles,  issuing 
the  first  automobile  catalogue  in  the 
United  States.  From  this  time  on  his 
career  was  one  of  continuous  success.  It 
had  its  beginning  in  Chicago  about  1892, 
and  in  1900  he  received  a  gold  medal  at 
the  World's  Fair  at  Paris,  France.     He 


American  Electric  Vehicle  Company,  and 
in  the  late  nineties  he  moved  his  plant 
from  Chicago  to  New  York  City,  the  fac- 
tory being  situated  at  Hoboken,  New 
Jersey.  In  1896  Mr.  Corrigan  received 
from  the  West  Chicago  Park  Commis- 
sioners a  permit  "to  pass  over  the  boule- 
vard and  through  parks  with  his  vehicle 
operated  by  electricity",  and  in  1900  the 
Department  of  Parks  of  the  City  of  New 
York  granted  him  permission  "to  enter 
upon  and  pass  over  the  drives  of  the 
Central  Park  with  an  electric  pleasure 
carriage."  In  1900  he  received  from  the 
Republic  of  France,  at  the  Paris  Exposi- 
tion, a  gold  medal,  awarded  in  recognition 
of  his  leadership  in  the  production  of 
electric  automobiles. 

In  1901  Mr.  Corrigan  sold  out  his  busi- 
ness and  engaged  in  the  manufacture  of 
electrical  conduits,  and  organized  the  Os- 
burn  Flexible  Conduit  Company  of  New 
York.  In  1907  he  moved  to  Pittsburgh, 
and  his  organization  consolidated  with 
the  National  Metal  Molding  Company,  of 
which  he  has  since  been  vice-president 
and  a  director.  His  entire  time  is  devoted 
to  the  upbuilding  and  maintenance  of  this 
great  concern,  and  the  large  and  flourish- 
ing business  which  it  now  controls  is 
mainly  the  result  of  his  keen  vision,  sound 
judgment  and  rare  administrative  abiUty. 

In  politics  Mr.  Corrigan  is  a  Republi- 
can, and  while  the  strenuous  duties  of  his 
important  and  most  responsible  position 
leave  him  little  time  for  the  consideration 
of  public  affairs  he  ever  manifests  a  keen 
and  helpful  interest  in  all  that  makes  for 
reform  and  progress,  whether  local  or  na- 
tional. He  belongs  to  the  Electrical 
Manufacturers'  Club  of  New  York,  and 
the  New  York  Electrical  Society ;  and  his 
other  clubs  are  the  Duquesne,  Pittsburgh 
Press,  Pittsburgh  Country  and  Columbus, 
also  the  Au  Sable  Trout  and  Game  Club, 
of  which  he  is  president.    He  is  enrolled 


EN'CYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


in  the  Pittsburgh  Athletic  Association. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Sacred  Heart 
Roman  Catholic  Church. 

The  personality  of  Mr.  Corrigan  is,  per- 
haps, best  described  as  that  of  a  leader. 
Others  will  follow  if  he  "clears  the  way." 
And  they  have  followed  and  will  continue 
to  follow  his  leadership.  His  aggressive- 
ness is  the  kind  that  not  only  undertakes 
but  accomplishes.  And  he  has  what 
someone  has  called  "the  instinct  of  the 
future."  Afar  off  he  discerns  possibilities 
and  with  rare  sagacity  develops  them, 
causing  them  to  yield  rich  harvests  of 
results.  His  personal  magnetism  is  great. 
There  is  that  about  him  which  draws  men 
to  him.  His  associates  and  subordinates 
follow  him  with  loyal  and  affectionate  de- 
votion. His  friends  are  legion.  His  char- 
acter is  inscribed  on  his  features  and  re- 
flected in  the  piercing  yet  benevolent 
glance  of  his  clear,  eagle  eyes.  Charles  E. 
Corrigan  looks  the  man  he  is.  Is  it  pos- 
sible to  say  more? 

Mr.  Corrigan  married,  February  6, 1895, 
in  Chicago,  Alice  Melita,  daughter  of 
Henry  and  Annie  (Smith)  Potwin,  of 
that  city,  and  they  are  the  parents  of  the 
following  children  :  i.  Ruth  Frances,  born 
July  II,  1896;  educated  in  Pittsburgh 
schools,  at  the  Ursuline  Academy  of 
Pittsburgh  and  at  Marymount  Academy 
of  Tarrytown,  New  York,  class  of  191 5. 
2.  John  Potwin,  born  January  11,  1898; 
studied  at  Emmitsburg  Academy,  Mary- 
land, and  East  Liberty  Academy,  Pitts- 
burgh, and  will  enter  Cornell  University 
to  learn  electrical  engineering.  3.  Mary 
Alice,  born  December  18,  1899.  4.  Charles 
Jerome,  born  November  3,  1901.  5. 
Francis  Hughes,  born  February  21,  1907. 
Mrs.  Corrigan  is  a  member  of  the  Daugh- 
ters of  the  American  Revolution,  and  of 
various  clubs,  including  the  Tuesday  Mu- 
sical Club,  and  belongs  to  a  number  of 
philanthropic  societies. 

Notwithstanding    Mr.    Corrigan's    ab- 

2:221 


sorption  in  large  enterprises,  devotion  to 
home  has  always  been  the  ruling  motive 
of  his  life,  and  in  the  companion.ship  of  his 
wife,  a  charming  and  congenial  woman, 
and  of  their  children,  he  has  ever  found 
his  chief  source  of  happiness.  He  is  a 
man  whom  history  has  taken  into  her 
keeping.  His  achievements  are  inscribed 
in  the  annals  of  electricity,  and  it  might, 
perhaps,  seem  almost  presumptuous  and 
certainly  wholly  superfluous,  to  place  an 
outline  of  a  career  like  his  on  pages  hav- 
ing a  merely  local  significance.  Not  so, 
however,  when  the  pages  are  those  of  the 
history  of  his  home  city  with  whom  his 
name  and  fame  are  inseparably  associated 
and  who  cherishes  with  just  pride  the 
memory  of  triumphs  which  she  knows  to 
be  one  source  of  her  own  renown.  The 
influence  of  a  life  like  that  of  this  noble 
Pittsburgher,  a  life  inspired  by  genius 
and  controlled  by  principle,  is  not  of  the 
present  alone.  Its  record  will  move  to 
high  minded  endeavor  future  generations 
of  her  citizens. 


TYLER,  Walter  V., 

Socialist  Ijeader. 

Although  a  native  son  of  New  Castle, 
Pennsylvania,  Mr.  Tyler's  forbears 
were  from  the  State  of  Ohio,  where  his 
father,  Charles  N.,  son  of  General  H.  B. 
Tyler,  was  born,  in  the  city  of  Ravenna. 
His  mother,  Anna  L.,  was  a  daughter  of 
Jerome  B.  and  Nancy  Ann  Dushane,  a 
pioneer  family  of  New  Castle,  where 
Anna  L.  was  born  and  now  resides,  a 
widow.  Both  the  Tylers  and  Dushanes 
were  prominent  in  the  early  historj^  of 
this  country  and  of  Western  Pennsylva- 
nia. 

Walter  V.  Tyler,  son  of  Charles  N.  and 
Anna  L.  (Dushane)  Tyler,  was  born  in 
New  Castle,  Pennsylvania,  November  i, 
1876.  He  is  a  product  of  the  public 
schools,   and   from   birth    to   the   present 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


has  known  no  other  home  than  the  city 
he  now  presides  over  as  mayor.  During 
the  Spanish-American  War  he  enlisted 
as  a  private  in  Company  E,  15th  Regi- 
ment Pennsylvania  Volunteer  Infantry, 
but  beyond  garrison  duty  at  Fort  Wash- 
ington saw  no  actual  service.  After  the 
war  closed  he  returned  to  New  Castle. 
In  1906  he  entered  the  employ  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Railroad,  and  until  1912 
continued  in  the  employ  of  that  com- 
pany, only  resigning  after  his  election  to 
the  office  of  chief  magistrate  of  the  city 
of  his  birth. 

This  office  was  reached  after  a  heated 
campaign,  resulting  in  the  defeat  of  the 
candidates  of  both  of  the  old  parties  and 
the  election  of  Mr.  Tyler  by  a  plurality 
of  five  hundred  votes.     From  early  man- 
hood Mr.  Tyler  has  been  actively  asso- 
ciated   with    the   labor    organizations    of 
New    Castle   and   has   obtained    national 
prominence.     He  organized  the  street  car 
employees  in  the  New  Castle  district,  and 
was  president  of  that  Union  for  six  years, 
also  chairman  of  the  grievance  committee. 
He  was  also  a  member  of  the  Brother- 
hood of  Railway  Trainmen  and  active  in 
that  order,  representing  his  Union  in  na- 
tional convention  at  Harrisburg  in  191 1. 
He  was  president  of  the  Trades  Assembly, 
delegate  to  conventions,  and  active  in  its 
affairs    for   years.      He    represented    the 
street  railroad  men  in  the  national  con- 
vention held  in  Buffalo  in  1910,  and  was 
one  of  the  influential  men  of  that  conven- 
tion.   This  association  with  the  working 
men,  his  devotion  to  the  cause  of  better 
and  more  equitable  just  conditions,  gain- 
ed him  their  respect  and  unfailing  loyaltyw 
Beginning  political  life  a  Republican, 
he  so  continued  until  after  the  Spanish 
War,  when  he  took  up  the  study  of  So- 
cialism, and  with  his  practical  mind  and 
experience  saw  that  it  offered  the  solu- 
tion of  some  of  the  problems  that  had 
already    confronted    him    in    this    work. 


After  careful  deliberation  he  abandoned 
his  party  and  became  a  pronounced  So- 
cialist, connected  himself  with  the  or- 
ganization, and  has  been  active  in  the 
business  affairs  of  that  party  ever  since. 
In  191 1  he  was  nominated  for  mayor  by 
the  Socialist  party,  and  at  the  following 
election  was  victorious  over  the  Demo- 
cratic and  Republican  nominees.  He  was 
inducted  into  office  December  4,  191 1, 
to  serve  four  years.  His  platform  advo- 
cates public  parks,  public  comfort  sta- 
tions, rigid  enforcement  of  sanitary  laws, 
and  the  establishment  of  public  coal  and 
wood  yards,  where  these  necessities  shall 
be  retailed  to  the  poor  in  small  quantities 
at  the  just  price.  In  carrying  out  the 
last  named  feature,  twenty-seven  acres 
have  already  been  secured  in  the  mill  dis- 
trict, properly  fitted  out  and  stocked. 
One  was  dedicated  and  thrown  open  to 
public  use  on  Labor  Day,  1912,  Mayor 
Tyler  making  the  dedicatory  address. 

He  married,  August  8,  1907,  Mattie 
J.,  daughter  of  Johnson  and  Caroline 
(Barnes)  Barber,  of  an  old  New  Castle 
family.    Child  :  Ruth  D. 


DUFFY,  Patrick  C, 

Man   of  Affairs. 

Pittsburgh  is  indebted,  to  an  extent 
which  it  would  be  difficult  to  estimate,  to 
her  citizens  of  Irish  birth  who  brought  to 
the  development  of  her  industries  and  the 
strengthening  of  all  the  essential  elements 
of  her  life  those  versatile  talents  and  that 
unconquerable  energy  for  which  their 
race  has  ever  been  famous.  In  no  Irish- 
born  Pittsburgher  were  these  character- 
istics more  strikingly  exemplified  than 
in  the  late  Patrick  C.  Duffy,  for  nearly 
twenty  years  proprietor  of  the  Battery 
Hotel,  one  of  the  most  celebrated  of  the 
Pittsburgh  hostelries  which  have  now 
passed  into  history.    Mr.  Duffy  was  prac- 


2222 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


tically  a  life-long  resident  of  the  Iron  City 
and  was  conspicuously  identified  with 
many  of  her  leading  interests. 

Patrick  C.  Duffy  was  born  in  1844, 
in  County  Tyrone,  Ireland,  a  son  of  John 
and  Ellen  (McNally)  Duffy.  At  the  age 
of  fifteen  years  he  was  brought  to  the 
United  States  by  his  parents,  who  settled 
in  Pittsburgh,  his  father  becoming  pro- 
prietor of  the  Battery  Hotel.  The  boy 
received  his  education  in  the  common 
schools  of  the  city,  and  when  but  a  youth 
became  head  of  the  firm  of  Duffy  &  Clark, 
tinners,  their  place  of  business  being  situ- 
ated in  the  Fifth  ward.  Here  Mr.  Duffy 
developed  that  rare  if  not  distinctive  ex- 
ecutive ability  for  which  he  afterward  be- 
came noted,  the  early  success  and  con- 
tinued prosperity  of  the  concern  being 
largely  due  to  his  capable  management, 
aggressive  methods  and  far-sighted  sa- 
gacity. 

In  1887,  upon  the  death  of  his  father, 
Mr.  Duffy  succeeded  to  the  proprietorship 
of  the  Battery  Hotel.  This  ancient  hos- 
telry, situated  at  the  corner  of  Grant 
street  and  Webster  avenue,  had  been  dur- 
ing the  Civil  War  a  rendezvous  of  Demo- 
cratic politicians,  and  its  walls  had  echoed 
to  the  applause  which  greeted  speeches 
delivered  by  many  famous  leaders.  As 
proprietor  of  the  hotel  Mr.  Duffy  soon 
came  into  prominence  as  a  strong  factor 
in  the  Democratic  politics  of  the  Fifth 
ward,  but  could  never  be  persuaded  to  en- 
ter the  lists  as  a  candidate  for  any  office. 
As  a  vigilant  and  attentive  observer  of 
men  and  measures,  holding  sound  opin- 
ions and  taking  liberal  views,  his  ideas 
carried  weight  among  those  with  whom 
he  discussed  public  problems.  He  was 
known  to  possess  unusual  insight  into 
character  and  motives,  and  his  reasonings, 
based  upon  convictions  of  right  and  duty, 
were  never  degraded  to  the  service  of  ex- 
pediency or  mendacity.  Strictly  upright 
in  all  his  transactions,  he  worthily  won 


and  held  a  high  place  in  the  esteem  of  all 
who  were  in  any  way  associated  with  him 
and  in  that  of  the  public  at  large. 

In  all  concerns  relative  to  the  welfare 
of  Pittsburgh  Mr.  Duffy  ever  manifested 
a  deep  and  sincere  interest  and  wherever 
substantial  aid  would  further  public  prog- 
ress it  was  freely  given.  He  made  many 
investments  in  real  estate,  accumulating 
a  large  fortune  through  his  ability  as  a 
judge  of  landed  property,  and  aiding  ma- 
terially in  the  development  and  improve- 
ment of  certain  sections  of  the  city.  No 
good  work  done  in  the  name  of  charity 
or  religion  sought  his  cooperation  in  vain, 
but  the  full  number  of  his  benefactions 
will,  in  all  probability,  never  be  known  to 
the  world,  for  his  philanthropy  was  of  the 
kind  that  shuns  publicity.  He  was  for 
many  years  a  member  of  St.  Paul's  Roman 
Catholic  Cathedral,  but  shortly  before  his 
death  became  identified  with  St.  Rosalie's 
Roman  Catholic  Church. 

An  analytical,  logical  mind,  keen  vision, 
initiative,  courage  and  force — these,  rest- 
ing on  rugged  honesty  and  rock-ribbed  in- 
tegrity were  the  structural  qualities  of 
Patrick  C.  Duffy's  character,  the  qualities 
that  thrust  him  into  the  foreground.  He 
was,  indeed,  a  man  to  lean  upon,  a  man 
upon  whom  men  leaned.  A  rare  leader  of 
men,  his  very  presence  seemed  to  radiate 
energy,  alertness  and  confidence  and  his 
expression  was  that  of  intelligence,  calm- 
ness and  capacity.  Never  did  he  forsake 
a  friend  and  honesty  and  honor  were  his 
mottoes  for  all  living.  Warmly  apprecia- 
tive of  the  good  in  others,  he  carried  with 
him  always  a  genial  humor  that  drew 
people  to  him,  and  it  was  this  side  of  his 
nature,  coupled  with  his  genius  for  leader- 
ship, that  gave  him  his  matchless  follow- 
ing and  compelled  the  unquestioning  con- 
fidence of  men  of  affairs.  His  counten- 
ance was  an  index  to  his  character.  It 
was  that  of  one  who  is,  in  every  sense  of 
the  word,  a  man. 


2223 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Mr.  Duffy  married,  September  23,  1868, 
Mary  Ellen,  daughter  of  Patrick  and 
Mary  (Monahan)  Clark,  the  former  his 
partner  in  the  firm  of  Duffy  &  Clark.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Duffy  were  the  parents  of  the 
following  living  children :  May,  who  be- 
came the  wife  of  Charles  J.  Walsh ;  Wil- 
liam F. ;  and  Theodore  E.  Mrs.  Duffy, 
possessing  as  she  does  a  distinguished 
personality,  is  a  type  rarely  met  witli 
among  her  sex — a  thinking  woman  who 
combines  with  perfect  womanliness  and 
domesticity  business  acumen  of  a  high 
order  and  an  unerring  judgment,  traits  of 
the  greatest  value  to  her  husband,  to 
whom  she  was  not  alone  a  charming  com- 
panion but  a  trusted  confidante.  Mr. 
Duffy  was  devoted  to  his  home  and  family 
and  delighted  tO'  entertain  his  friends. 

In  October,  1906,  an  old  landmark  was 
removed.  Mr.  Duffy  disposed  of  the  Bat- 
tery Hotel  in  order  to  make  way  for  im- 
provements, and  retired  from  business. 
Exactly  one  year  thereafter,  on  October 
I,  1907,  he  passed  away,  his  death  remov- 
ing from  the  city  a  man  of  fine  natural  en- 
dowments, spotless  probity  of  character 
and  useful  influence.  Sincere  and  true  in 
his  friendships,  honorable  and  generous 
in  business,  few  men  enjoyed  to  a  greater 
degree  the  affection  of  their  fellow-citi- 
zens. Possessing  those  traits  of  character, 
that  warmth  of  heart  and  those  personal 
qualities  that  attract  and  holds  friends, 
he  was  a  most  delightful  companion. 
With  faith  in  humanity,  with  a  purpose 
to  make  the  best  of  everything  and  see 
the  good  that  is  in  all  rather  than  the 
evil,  with  a  helping  hand  and  a  word  of 
cheer  for  all  who  needed  to  have  their 
pathways  made  smoother,  he  won  a  place 
that  was  all  his  own  in  the  hearts  of  all 
who  knew  him.  For  more  than  a  quarter 
century  few  men  in  Pittsburgh  were 
better  known  than  Patrick  C.  Duffy  and 
none  were  better  liked.     He  was  a  true 


Irishman  and  a  loyal  American  and  the 
memory  of  his  manly  and  genial  person- 
ality is  still  cherished  in  many  hearts. 


MURPHY,  Marion  Hayleigh, 

Prominent  Member  of  the   Bar. 

Prominent  among  those  lawyers  of  the 
younger  generation  who  represent  in  the 
Pittsburgh  bar  the  element  of  twentieth 
century  vigor  and  aggressiveness  is  Mari- 
on Hayleigh  Murphy,  well  known  as  a 
general  civil  practitioner  and  especially 
identified  with  corporation  work.  Mr. 
Murphy  has  taken  an  active  part  in  mu- 
nicipal and  county  politics  and  is  noted 
for  a  high  degree  of  public  spirit. 

William  T.  Murphy,  father  of  Marion 
Hayleigh  Murphy,  was  born  July  7,  1836, 
in  Pittsburgh,  and  was  a  son  of  James 
and  Margaret  (Keliher)  Murphy.  Wil- 
liam T.  Murphy  was  educated  in  the 
schools  of  Pittsburgh  and  Loretta,  and 
before  the  Civil  War  was  engaged  in  the 
wholesale  tobacco  business.  He  served  in 
the  Confederate  army  as  colonel  in  a 
Regiment  of  Cavalry.  Afterward  he  was 
in  the  wholesale  commission  business,  but 
later  retired.  Mr.  Murphy  married,  in 
1859,  in  Memphis,  Tennessee,  Elizabeth, 
daughter  of  Isaac  H.  and  Maria  (Bass) 
Hayleigh,  the  former  being  a  representa- 
tive of  one  of  the  old  families  of  the  state, 
and  Maria  Bass  was  a  daughter  of  Presi- 
dent James  K.  Polk's  half-sister.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Murphy  were  the  parents  of  the  fol- 
lowing children :  Birdie  Agnes,  widow  of 
John  M.  L'Amour,  of  Baltimore ;  Ada, 
wife  of  William  C.  Weckerle,  of  Pitts- 
burgh ;  William,  of  New  York ;  F.  Victor 
Laurent,  throat  specialist  of  Pittsburgh ; 
and  Marion  Hayleigh,  mentioned  below. 
Dr.  Laurent  is  known  by  the  name  here 
given,  which  he  assumed  when  singing  in 
grand  opera  and  after  becoming  a  physi- 
cian still  continued,  for  professional  rea- 


2224 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


son,  to  use.  Mrs.  Murphy  died  September 
26,  1910,  and  Mr.  Murphy  died  July  17, 

1915- 

Marion  Hayleigh  Murphy,  son  of  Wil- 
liam T.  and  Elizabeth  (Hayleigh)  Mur- 
phy, was  born  January  27,  1878,  in  Pitts- 
burgh. He  received  his  early  education 
in  public  schools  of  his  native  city,  later 
graduating  from  the  high  school.  Choos- 
ing to  devote  himself  to  the  legal  profes- 
sion he  pursued  his  studies  under  the 
guidance  of  Judge  A.  B.  Reed  and  in  1899 
was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Allegheny 
county.  At  the  very  inception  of  his  ca- 
reer the  exceptional  fitness  of  Mr.  Murphy 
for  his  chosen  profession  became  distinct- 
ly apparent.  Thorough  knowledge  of  the 
law  and  rare  skill  in  applying  that  knowl- 
edge combined  with  the  strictest  fidelity 
to  every  obligation  soon  won  for  him  the 
implicit  confidence  of  members  of  the  bar 
and  the  general  public.  He  has  a  large 
and  constantly  increasing  civil  practice, 
being  especially  well  known  in  connection 
with  corporation  law  and  work  in  the  Or- 
phans' Court. 

From  early  manhood  Mr.  Murphy  has 
been  active  in  political  circles.  He  is  a 
staunch  Democrat  and  at  different  times 
has  served  as  secretary  of  Democratic  city 
and  county  conventions.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  be- 


longs to  the  Pittsburgh  Athletic  Associa^ 
tion  and  the  Knights  of  Columbus,  hav- 
ing been  at  one  time  grand  knight  of  Du- 
quesne  Council  and  for  several  years  mas- 
ter of  the  Fourth  Degree  of  Western 
Pennsylvania,  this  being  the  highest  hon- 
or of  the  district.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Roman  Catholic  church,  belonging  to  the 
Cathedral  congregation. 

Love  of  music  is  one  of  Mr.  Murphy's 
distinguishing  characteristics.  Side  by 
side  with  his  predilection  for  the  law  ex- 
ists his  passion  for  the  "divine  art."  He 
pursued  at  the  same  time  the  study  of  law 
and  the  study  of  music  and  for  a  brief 
period  appeared  in  grand  opera,  being 
gifted,  like  his  elder  brother,  with  a  re- 
markably fine  voice.  His  countenance 
bears  witness  to  the  diversity  of  his  en- 
dowments, the  features  being  strong  and 
refined  and  the  eyes  reflecting  at  once  the 
legal  mind  and  the  artist  nature.  Another 
of  his  characteristics,  equal  to  those  al- 
ready mentioned,  is  his  capacity  for 
friendship. 

The  main  reliance  of  the  Pittsburgh  bar 
at  the  present  day  is  on  those  of  her  mem- 
bers who  are  still  in  early  manhood  and 
who  combine  with  the  first  harvest  of 
knowledge  and  experience  the  enthusi- 
asm and  energy  of  youth — men  of  the 
type  of  Marion  Hayleigh  Murphy. 


2225 


INDEX 


ERRATA  AND  ADDENDA 


Craig,  Vol.  IV,  p.  1362:    In  September,  lOiS,  Rev.  Samuel  G.  Craig  was  elected  an  editor  of  "The  Pres- 
byterian," with  headquarters  in  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania. 
Wood,  Vol.  V,  p.  1717:    The  following  coats-of-arms  should  appear: 

(Fairbairn's   "Book   of   Crests") — Bute,    Marquess   and    Earl    of    (the    Rt.    Hon.    Sir   John    Patrick 
Crichton-Stuart)  ;    (i)  A  demi-lion  rampant  gu.  (for  Stuart).    (2)  A  wyvern,  wings  elevated  and 
addorsed,  fire  issuant  from  the  mouth,  all  ppr.   (for  Crichton).     Nobilis  iru   (noble  indignation). 
Avito  viret  honore  (he  flourishes  by  ancestral  honours). 
(Burke's  "General  Armory") — Stuart  (Crichton-Stuart,  Marquess  of  Bute).     Quarterly,  ist  and  4th, 
or,  a  fess  chequy  az.  and  ar.  within  a  double  tressure  flory  counterflory  gu.,  for  Stuart;  2nd  and 
3rd,  ar.  a  lion  ramp,  az.,  for  Crichton.     Crests — ist:     A  demi-lion  ramp,  gu.,  and  over  it  the 
motto,  nobilis  est  ira  leonis  (the  lion's  anger  is  noble),  for  Stuart;  2nd:     A  wyvern,  fire  issuant 
from  the  mouth  all  ppr.,  for  Crichton.     Supporters — Dexter,  a  horse  ar.  bridled  gu. ;  sinister,  a 
stag  ppr  attired  or.    Motto — Avito  viret  honore  (he  flourishes  by  ancestral  honours). 
(Fairbairn's  "Book  of  Crests") — Roxburghe,  Duke  of.  Marquess  of  Bowmont  and  Cessford,  Earl  of 
Roxburghe,  Earl  of  Kelso,  Viscount  Broxmouth,  Baron  Roxburghe,  and  Baron  Ker  of  Cessford, 
and  Cavertoun,  in  Scotland,  and  Earl  Ines   (the  Most  Noble  Sir  James   Henry  Robert  Innes- 
Ker)  :     (i)  A  unicorn's  head  erased  arg.,  armed  and  maned  or  (for  Ker).     (2)   A  boar's  head 
erased  ppr.,  langued  gu.  (for  Innes).    Pro  Crista  et  patria  (for  Christ  and  country).    Be  traist. 
(To  trust). 
(Burke's  "General  Armory")  :     Ker  (Duke  of  Roxburghe).    Quarterly,  1st  and  4th,  vert  on  a  chev. 
betw.  three  unicorns'  heads  erased  ar.  armed  and  maned  or,  as  many  mullets  sa.,  for  Ker ;  2nd 
and  3rd,  gu.  three  mascles  or.     Crest— A  unicorn's  head  erased  ar.  armed  and  maned  or.     Sup- 
porters— Two  savages  wreathed  about  the  head  and  waist  with  oak  leaves,  each  holding  with  the 
exterior  hand  a  club  resting  upon  the  shoulder,  all  ppr.      Motto — Pro    Christo   et   patria   duke 
periculum  (for  Christ  and  our  country  danger  is  sweet). 
(The  translations  of  the  mottoes  are  from  Fairbairn). 
Gwinner,  Vol.  VI,  p.  1922 :    Frederick  Gwmner,  p.  1923,  was  born  December  22,  1735,  and  died  May  13, 
1773;  his  wife,  Catharine,  was  born  September  29,  1737,  and  died  November  20,  1798;  John  Frederick 
Gwinner,  same  page,  died  June  29,  1806;  Sarah  S.  Gwinner,  wife  of  John  Frederick  Gwinner,  correct 
dates  of  birth  and  death  are  January  19,  181 1,  and  April  4,  1880;  correct  date  of  birth  of  Anna  Cath- 
erine, June   17,   1833;   p.   1924,   Martha  Jane  Gwinner  died  February  9,   1907;   John   Frederick    (2) 
Gwinner  was  the  first  secretary  of  the  George  Taylor  Building  and  Loan  Association,  the  first  asso- 
ciation of  that  kind  in  Easton ;  treasurer  of  the  Tunkhannock  Ice  Company  and  the  Pocono  Lake 
Ice  Company;  from  1862  to  1864  was  treasurer  of  the  Borough  of  Easton;  became  an  agent  for  the 
Mutual  Life  Insurance  Company  of  New  York,  September  11,  1865,  and  served  about  three  years. 
Parsons,  p.  2099,  2nd  col.,  7th  line,  year  1827  should  be  1727. 
Vincent,  p.  1892,  2nd  col.,  17th  line,  McNeary  should  be  McNary. 


INDEX 

Ambler,  Harry  S.,  Jr.,  1887  Arnold,  Frederick,  2137 

Henry  S.,  1887  John,  2137 

Arbuckle,  John,  2182  William  A.,  2137 
Thomas,  2182 

Armstrong,  Arthur,  2028  Backenstoe,  Henry,  1928 

Elizabeth  G..  2030  Jacob  M.,  1929 

Jame.s,  2028  Martin  J.,  1928.  1929 

2229 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Baer,  Andrew,  2068 

John,  2068 

Reuben  A.,  2068 
Baggaley,  Ralph,  1837 

William,  1837 
Bair,  Edward  H.,  2034 

Henry  N.  H.,  2034 
Baird,  Absalom,  Dr.,  1865 

Isaac,  2147 

John,  Lieut.,  1864 

Thomas  H.,  1864 

William  J.,  2147 

William  R.,  2146 
Bakewell,  Thomas  W.,  2169 

William,  2169 
Barclay,  Annie  N.,  2192 

John  A.,  2191 

Lowry,  2 191 

William  F.,  Dr.,  2190 
Baugh,  Daniel,  1957 

John  P.,  1957 
Beall,  Joseph  B.,  1996 
Bell,  Charles  H.,  2080 

John  C,  1883 
Bigler,  William,  21 11 

Samuel,  2080 
Black,  Henry,  2109 

Jeremiah  S.,  2109 
Blair,  Alexander,  1843 

John  C,  1843 
Bodine,  John,  1977 

Samuel  T.,  1976 
Booth,  Bradford  A.,  Dr.,  2186 

George,  2186 
Borden,  Edward  P.,  1939,  1941 

John, 1939 

John  S.,  1939 

Richard,  1939,  1940 

Richard,  Col.,  1940 

Thomas,  1940 

Thomas  J.,  1941 

William  H.  H.,  1941 
Borie,  Adolph  E.,  2108 

John  J.,  2108 
Boyd,  James,  2054 

John, 2055 


Samuel  H.,  2054,  2055 
Bradford,  Thomas  B.,  1987 

Thomas  L.,  1986 
Breed,  Allen,  1871 

George,  1872 

Gershom,  1872 

Henry  A.,  1871,  1873 
Breneman,  Henry,  1898 

Henry  N.,  Capt.,  1898 

Henry,  Rev.,  1898 

Joseph  P.,  1897,  1899 
Brennan,  Dominick  C,  2182 

John  P.,  2182 
Brobst,  Christian,  2045 

James  C,  Dr.,  2044,  2046 

Philip,  2045 

Valentine,  2045 
Brooke,  John,  1857 

Robert,  1857 
Brown,  John  R.,  1875 

Samuel,  1875 
Brownson,  James  I.,  2023 

James  I.,  Rev.,  2023 
Brubaker,  Albert  P.,  1942,  1943 

John, 1943 
Bucher,  Christian  M.,  2088 

Frederick,  2092 

George  W.,  2088 

John  R.,  2088,  2089 

Joseph  M.,  2092 

William  L.,  2092 
Bucks,  George,  1909 
Burke,  Edmund,  2027 
Burpee,  David,  2106 

Washington  A.,  2105,  2106 

Cameron,  Alexander  P.,  2086 

Peter,  2086 
Carr,  John  D.,  2124 

Nicholas,  2124 

Wooda  N.,  2124,  2125 
Carson,  Cornelius,  1901 

Hampton  L.,  1991 

Joseph, 1994 

Joseph,  Dr.,  1991 
2230 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Cartwright,  Edward,  1876 

Harry  B.,  1876 

Richard,  1876 
Chandler,  Amasa  F.,  1867,  1869 

John, 1868 

Lee  L.,  1870 

Levi,  1869 

Sellers  M.,  1871 

Thomas,  1868 

Thomas  L.,  1868 

William,  1868 
Chaytor,  Daniel,  2159 
Childs,  George  W.,  2145 
Clark,  James,  2184 

James  M.,  2184,  2185 

William,  2185 
Coghlan,  Gerald  P.,  Rev.,  1997 
Comfort,  Ezra,  2101,  2102 

George  M.,  2104 

Henry  W.,  2100,  2104 

John, 2100 

John  S.,  2103 

Stephen,  2101 
Corr,  Bernard,  2126 
Corrigan,  Alice  M.,  2221 

Charles  E.,  2219,  2220 

James,  2220 

John, 2220 

John  P.,  2221 
Covert,  Benjamin,  1864 
Craig,  John,  1857 
Crane,  Michael  J.,  Mgr.,  1878 
Cresswell,  Robert,  2024 

Robert  E.,  2024,  2025 

Thomas  H.,  2024 
Cronin,  Charles  L,  1918 
Crow,  Michael,  1896 

William  E.,  1896 
Cummins,  Albert  B.,  1982,  1983 

Benjamin  F.,  1982 
Cunningham,  John  B.,  2087 

J.  E.,  2087 

Robert,  2087 
Curtin,  Andrew  G.,  21 17 

Roland,  21 17 


Dahlgren,  Bernard  U.,  21 10 

John  A.,  21 10 
Darlington,  Abraham,  2179 

Amos,  2179 

Benjamin,  2179 

Mary  C,  2181 

Thomas,  2179 

William  M.,  2178 
Davey,  Isaiah,  2136 

Thomas,  2136 
Davidson,  Daniel  R.,  1955 

George,  1955,  1956 

William,  1955 
De  Frees,  Joseph  H.,  2044 

William  S.,  2044 
Demuth,  Christopher,  2059 

Gottlieb,  2058 

Henry  C,  2058,  2059 

Henry  C.  (2nd),  2059 

Henry  C.  (3rd),  2060 

Jacob,  2059 
Deshler,  Adam,  191 1,  1915 

Anthony,  191 1 

Charles,  1914 

Charles  D.,  1913 

David,  1909,  1915,  1916 

David,  Col.,  1912 

Edward,  1914 

Jacob,  1914 

Jacob  G.,  1915 

John  A.,  1913 

Oliver  R.,  1914 

Peter,  1914 
Detwiler,  Daniel  H.,  2000,  2001 

David,  2038 

David  S.,  2037,  2038 

Horace,  2021,  2022 

Joseph,  2000,  2021,  2037 

Solomon  S.,  2022 

William  S.,  2002 
Diflenderffer,  David,  1968 

Frank  R.,  1968 

Michael,  1968 
Dodge,  Byron  G.,  2056,  2057 

Ebenezer,  2057 


2231 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


George  W.,  2057 

John, 2057 

Nicholas,  2057 

Robert,  2056 

William,  2056 
Dorrance,  Benjamin,  Col.,  1981 

Benjamin  F.,  1980 

Charles,  Col.,  1981 

Samuel,  Rev.,  1980 
Dreisbach,  Jacob  E.,  1909 

John, 1909 

Martin,  1908,  1909 
Drexel,  Anthony  J.,  2007 

Francis  M.,  2007 

George  W.  C,  2007,  2008 
Du  Bois,  Abraham,  1932 

James  T.,  1932 

Josiah,  1932 
Duffy,  John,  2223 

Patrick  C,  2222 

Elkin,  William,  2039 

William  F.,  2039 
Elliott,  John,  1874 

William  S.,  1873,  1874 
Fanning,  Adelbert  C,  201 1 

David,  201 1 

Elisha,  201 1 
Farr,  John  R.,  2134 
Fee,  Abraham,  2030 

David  H.,  2030,  2031 

John, 2030 

William,  2030 

William  H.,  2031 
Feit,  Anna  S.,  2212 

Daniel,  2210 

John,  2210,  221 1 

Paul  W.,  221 1 

Susan  A.,  2212 

William,  2210 
Fellers,  Paul,  1908 
Filbert,  John,  1973 

John  H.,  1972,  1974 

John  Q.  A.,  1973 

John  S.,  1972 

Peter,  1973 


Samuel,  1972,  1973 
Fisher,  Sydney  G.,  1964 
Flenniken,  John,  1982 
Fon  Dersmith,  Charles  A.,  2082,  2083 

Henry  C,  2083 
Forney, Jacob,  2148 

John  W.,  2148 
Franks,  Frederick  B.,  2212 

John, 2212 
Frantz,  Andrew  F.,  2019,  2020 

Christian,  2019 

Jacob,  2019 

Jacob  M.,  2020 
Fray,  Stephen,  2144 

William  F.,  2143 
Frederick,  John,  1903 

Jonas,  1903 

Jonas  H.,  1903 

Joseph,  1903 

Michael,  1903 
Freeman,  Edward  J.,  Dr.,  2032 

George  W.,  Dr.,  2032 

Garvin,  Milton  T.,  2039 

Milton  Y.,  2039 
Gilpin,  Charles,  1963 

Joseph, 1963 

Washington  H.,  1963 
Given,  James,  1989 

William  B.,  1989,  1990 

William  F.,  1990 
Golden,  Joseph  A.,  1927 

William,  1927 

William  A.,  1927 
Grady,  Adam,  2069 

Charles  A.,  2069,  2070 

John, 2070 
Griest,  Asa  W.,  2079 

Ellwood,  Maj.,  2077 

William,  2077 

William  W.,  2079 
Grosh,  Benjamin  F.,  2047 

Frank  B.,  2047 
Grubb,  Charles  B.,  1996 

Clement  B.,  1994,  1996 

Henry  B.,  1995 


2232 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


John, 1995 
Peter,  1995 
Gwinner,  Francis  A.,  1923 
♦John  F.,  1922,  1923 

Hale,  Joseph,  Capt.,  2159 

Thomas,  2159,  2160 
Hammel,  Louis,  2174 
Harper,  David  W.,  2194 

William  W.,  2194 
Harris,  John,  2197 

John  P.,  2197 

Samuel,  2197 
Hartman,  Henry,  1907 

Philip,  1907 

Samuel  G.,  1907 

William,  1907 
Harton,  Theodore  M.,  1926 
Hartupee,  Aaron,  1870 

Andrew,  1870 
Head,  John,  1988 

John  B.,  1988 

William  B.,  1988 

William  S.,  1988,  1989 
Heberton,  Alexander,  1856 

George,  1856 

Edward,  1857 
Heintzelman,  Samuel  P.,  Gen.,  2142 
Hertzler,  Jacob,  1985 

John,  1985 
Hochstrasser,  Arnold,  1906 
Howard,  William,  1877 

William  J.,  1877 
Howell,  Daniel,  1859 

Ellett,  1859 

Hezekiah,  1859 
Hussey,  Christopher,  2215,  2216 

Christopher  C,  1888 

Curtis  G.,  2215,  2216 
Hustead,  Albert  M.,  2210 

Angell,  2208 

David,  2208 

James  E.,  2210 

James  M.,  2207,  2209 

John,  2208,  2209 

Joseph,  2208 


Robert,  2208 

Walter  H.,  2210 
Huston,  Abraham  F.,  1850 

Charles,  Dr.,  1850 
Hutchison,  David,  2153 

Peter,  2153 

Inloes,  Abram,  2158 
William,  2158 

Jacobs,  William  C,  2195 
Jones,  J.  Arthur,  2093 
John  W.,  2093 

Kane,  Elisha  K.,  21 18 

John  K.,  21 18 
Keenan,  James,  1948 

James,  Gen.,  1948 
Kehler,  Henry  N.,  2064 

Henry  N.  (2nd),  2065 

Henry  N.,  Jr.,  2065 

Joshua,  2064 
Keltz,  George,  2084 

John  W.,  2084 

Samuel,  2084 
Kinzer,  Esaias,  Dr.,  2008 

George,  2008 

Michael,  2008 
Kipple,  Andrew  J.,  2192 

George,  2193 

Jacob,  2193 
Kleber,  Henry,  2175 
Klopp,  Adam  C,  2071 

Henry  J.,  Dr.,  2071,  2072 

Jerome,  2071 

John  A.,  2071 
Koenig,  Adolph,  2121,  2122 

Bendicht,  2122 

Christian,  2122 

Landis,  Charles  I.,  1947 

James  D.,  1945 

John,  1945 
Lang,  John,  2095 

John  M.,  2095 

William,  2095 
2233 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Latimore,  John,  1917 

Robert  H.,  1917 

Wilmer  A.,  1917,  1918 
Latshaw,  Peter  W.  H.,  2176 

William  H.,  2176 
Lichty,  John  A.,  1845,  1846 

John  C,  1845 

Jonas,  1845 
Locher,  David  P.,  2066,  2067 

Grove,  2066,  2067 

Henry,  2066 

Jacob,  2067 
Lyon,  Henry  B.,  1893 

John,  1893 

Thomas  H.,  1893 

Walter,  1893 

McClain,  Francis,  1934 

Frank  B.,  1934 
McCready,  James  C,  1931 

J.  Homer,  1930,  1931 

Joseph,  1931 

Robert,  1930 
McGrann,  Bernard  J.,  2075,  2076 

Frank,  2075,  2077 

Richard,  2075 
McKnight,  Charles,  2168 
McMaster,  Samuel  C,  2166 

William  A.,  2166 
Mack,  John  C,  1905 

John  S.,  1905 
Magee,  Christopher,  1853 

Christopher,  Jr.,  1855 

Robert,  1853 
Markel,  Chester  F.,  1887 

Emmanuel,  1887 

James  Clyde,  1887,  1888 
Martin,  Charles  D.,  Dr.,  2120 

Charles  H.,  2120 

Charles  L.,  Dr.,  2120 

Christian  F.,  Dr.,  21 19 

Constantine  H.,  Dr.,  2120 

Truman  J.,  Dr.,  2121 

William  E.,  21 19,  2121 
Masson,  Peter,  Monsignor,  2014 
Miller,  Addison,  1925 

Harold  A.,  1925 


MoflFat,  James  D.,  2016,  2017 

John, 2016 
Murphy,  James,  2224 

Marion  H.,  2224 

William  T.,  2224 

North,  Hugh  M.,  Jr.,  1978,  1980 
Hugh  M.,  Sr.,  1978 

O'Hara,  James,  2181 
Omwake,  George  L.,  2049,  2052 
Jacob,  2050 

Packer,  Asa,  2139 

Palmer,  Andrew  L.,  2213,  2214 

John, 2213 

Thomas,  2213,  2214 
Parsons,  Abraham,  2098 

Ellwood,  2097,  2099 

George,  2097 
♦Isaac,  2098,  2099 

John, 2097 

Thomas,  2097,  2098 
Paul,  Harry  S.,  2165 

Jacob  W.,  2163 
Peacock,  Adonijah,  2074 

Alexander  H.,  2074 

Jacob  S.,  2073,  2074 

John, 2073 

Thomas,  2074 
Porter,  Andre v^r,  1858 
Potter,  William,  2036 

William  G.,  2036 
Potts,  Joseph  D.,  2080 

Thomas,  2080 

William  M.,  2080,  2081 
Prendergast,  Edmond  F.,  Rt.  Rev.,  1937 

Randolph,  Richard,  1864 

Thomas,  1864 
Reichenbach,  Alfred  L.,  2187 

William,  2187 
Reimer,  John  C,  Dr.,  2013 

William,  2012,  2013 
Reynolds,  George  N.,  2041,  2043 

Nathan,  2042 

Nathaniel,  2041 


2234 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Nelson  B.,  Maj.,  2042 

Philip,  2041 

William,  2042 
Rinehart,  Alfred  W.,  2162 

Charles  A.,  2162 

Edward  E.,  2161 

Edward  E.,  Jr.,  2162 

Mary  E.,  1922 

Stanley  M.,  192 1 

William,  1921,  2161 
Roach,  John,  2198 

John  B.,  2200 

William  M.,  2200 
Robbins,  Brintnel,  2047 

Edward  E.,  2047,  2048 

Joseph,  2048 

Richard,  2047 

Samuel,  2047 

William,  2048 
Roland,  Henry  A.,  1900 

John  P.,  1899 

Jonathan,  1899 

Oliver,  1899,  1900 
Rothermel,  Peter  F.,  2130 

Peter  F.,  Jr.,  2132 

Schaeffer,  Charles  D.,  Dr.,  2187 

David,  2187 
Schroyer,  Christian,  Col.,  2060 

George  W.,  2060 

Henry  A.,  2060,  2062 
Scott,  David,  21 13 

John,  2112, 2113,  2114,  2117 
Sell,  Eli,  2204 

Jacob,  2204 

John, 2204 

John  S.,  2204,  2205 
Sewell,  Henry,  2158 

Richard,  2158 
Shattuck,  David,  2004 

Francis  E.,  2004 

Frank  R.,  2003,  2004 

Giles,  2004 

Robert,  2003 

William,  2003 
Shaw,  Daniel  W.,  2027 

George  B.,  2027 


Shepp,  Daniel,  1952 
Shields,  James,  2085 

James  C,  2085 

John, 2085 
Shindel,  Charles  S.,  1950,  1951 

Conrad,  1950 
Shoemaker,  David,  2103 

George,  2102 

Jacob,  2103 
Shuman,  Frederick,  2092 

George,  2091 

Jacob,  2091 

Michael  S.,  2091 

William  L.,  2092 
Smith,  George  W.,  Dr.,  2002 

James,  2009 

James  F.,  2010 

Joseph  P.,  2010 

Levi  B.,  2202 

Levi  H.,  2203 

Patrick,  2009 

Seth  M.,  Dr.,  2002 

William  D.,  2202 
Snively,  Albert  C,  2004,  2005 

Hiram,  2005 

John,  2004 
Snow,  Abraham,  2156 

Charles  G.,  2156 

Charles  H.,  2157 

George,  2155,  2157 

Mark,  2156 

Nicholas,  2156 

Richard,  2156 
South,  Hamilton  D.,  Capt.,  2000 

Stephen  B.,  Dr.,  1998 

Thomas  W.,  1998 
Spang,  Charles  F.,  1884 

Charles  H.,  1886 

Frederick,  1884 

Hans  G.,  1884 

Henry  S.,  1884 
Stabler,  John  N.,  2188 
Steigerwald,  Andrew  S.,  2205 

Clarence,  2207 
Stern,  William  J.,  2081,  2082 
Stockdale,  John  M.,  1974 

William,  1974 


■%^-^ 


2235 


ENCYCLOPEDIA  OF  BIOGRAPHY 


Strittmatter,  Francis  X.,  2006 

Isidor  P.,  Dr.,  2006 
Supplee,  William  W.,  2138 

Taylor,  Bayard,  2127 

Joseph,  2127 

William,  2100 
Templeton,  Chambers,  1954 

Edwin  S.,  1953,  1954 
Thurston,  James  F.,  2160 

Leon,  Dr.,  2160 
Tinker,  Francis,  2167 

Harry  G.,  2167,  2168 

Joshua,  2167 

Uriah,  2167 
Titus,  Andrew,  1858 

Content,  1858 

John, 1858 

Robert,  1858 

Theodore,  1859 
Todd,  Frank  L.,  Dr.,  2174 

James,  2174 

William,  2174 
Trout,  Adam  R.,  2063,  2094 

Frank  B.,  2063 

Harry  L.,  2094 

Isaac,  2094 
Tustin,  Ernest  L.,  1880,  1881 

Francis  W.,  Rev.,  1881 
Tyler,  Charles  N.,  2221 

H.  B.,  Gen.,  2221 

Walter  V.,  2221 

Vincent,  George  C,  1890 
James,  1890 
*James  R.,  1890,  1891 


Samuel,  1863 

Thomas,  1863 
Wallace,  James,  1849,  1850 

James  O.,  1849,  1850 

William,  2096,  2097 
Wanamaker,  John,  2149 

Nelson,  2149 
Weible,  Andrew,  1894 

August,  1894 

Harrison,  1894 
Weil,  A.  Leo,  1848 

Isaac  L.,  1848 
Wesley,  John,  1877 
Whyel,  George,  1895 

Matthias,  1895 
Wight,  John,  2160 
Wilkinson,  James  M.,  2177 

Matthew,  2177 
Williams,  Alfred  W.,  1935,  1936 

Riley,  1936 
Williamson,  Duncan,  2100 
Wills,  Abner  E.,  1919,  1920 

Allen  W.,  1919 

J.  Hunter,  1920 

Michael,  1919 
Wilson,  Stephen,  2101 
Winston,  Bowling  H.,  i860 

Isaac,  i860 

John  C,  1859,  i860 

Pleasant,  i860 
Woelfel,  Conrad,  2172 

John, 2172 

Louis  M.  J.,  Rev.,  2172 
Wood,  M.  Allen,  Dr.,  2189 

Robert  H.,  2189 
Woodward,  James  F.,  2136,  2137 

John  W.,  2136 


Wakefield,  David  H.,  1863 
James  A.,  1862,  1863 


Yeakel,  James  M.,  1905,  1906 
Peter,  1905 


2236 


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